Energy Invoice Belgium: Types and Average Costs

Wondering what the average energy invoice in Belgium is or which types of invoices you can receive? In this energy guide the Belgian comparator CallMePower gives you all the information about the energy invoice in Belgium.

Types of Energy Invoices Belgium

In Belgium there are three different types of energy invoices you might receive from your energy supplier. You will receive these invoices at different times and contain different information. The three different types of invoices are:

• Advance invoice;
• Annual statement;
• Final invoice.

In the section below you will find all the information about these types of invoices for gas and electricity in Belgium.

Advance Invoice

The advance invoice is, as the name suggests, an advance on your energy costs. Your energy supplier estimates your yearly energy usage and based on that information will estimate the yearly costs. Because the exact energy usage in most cases is only known at the end of the contract year and paying all the yearly costs at once is too much, you will pay an advance on the costs.

Annual Statement

The advance invoice does not represent the actual costs of your energy usage. At the end of the contract year, when the supplier has received the meter readings, it will communicate the actual costs in the annual statement. If these costs were higher, you will have to pay the difference to the supplier. If they were lower, you will receive the difference back from your supplier.

You will receive the annual statement at the end of the contract year. It is always recommended to compare the prices at the end of your contract and see if it is necessary to adjust your advance invoices in order to reduce the difference with the annual statement.

Final Invoice

When you terminate your contract, you will receive the final invoice. This could be, for example, if you are going to change energy supplier or if you move house. In this case, the energy supplier will settle the advance invoices with the actual amount of energy, just as with the annual settlement. After payment of the final invoice, the contract is concluded.

Composition Energy Bill Belgium

Regardless of the type of energy bill, you will find a number of different components. The most important part of the energy bill is the energy cost. This is the amount you pay for gas or electricity to your energy supplier. In Belgium, the energy bill consists of three main components:

1. The energy cost, also known as the energy price or the price per kWh.
2. The distribution and transport costs, also known as network tariffs.
3. Government taxes, duties and levies.

See our page about the electricity price in Belgium for more information.

Energy Costs on the Invoice

The energy cost is the price per kWh and is set by your supplier. This part of the energy price is the only one that is subject to competition. Suppliers can buy energy at the wholesale market and add their overhead costs, such as marketing and sales. After adding these costs and the profit margin, prices per kWh can differ. This is why it is very important to compare suppliers when choosing a new contract.

Moreover, the energy costs per kWh is also dependent on the type of energy meter. If you have a single rate meter, then you will have the standard price per kWh. But if you have a dual rate meter, then you will have a day rate during peak hours, and a night rate during off peak hours.

The energy costs represent the majority of the total energy price; around 80%.

Transport and Distribution Costs

Transmission and distribution costs are set by your distribution supply network operator (Fluvius, ORES, Resa, Sibelga, etc.) and transmission supply network operator (Fluxys and Elia). They are added to your invoice but your supplier will pass them directly to the distributors and transporters of the energy.

Transmission costs allow electricity and gas to be transported from their point of production to the distribution network. As for distribution costs, they are used to route energy through the distribution network to the point of consumption such as your home.

The distribution costs of energy in Belgium can be different per municipality, depending on the distributor. These costs are the same for every supplier and contract.

Government Taxes

Finally, you can also find some taxes on the energy bills. These taxes can be federal and regional. The VAT on energy is currently 6%, which has been lowered because of the energy crisis in 2022. In 2023 it has been decided that the tax rate will stay at this lower level.

Regional taxes are the taxes for cogeneration and green energy, which are different in Flanders, Wallonia and the Brussels Capital Region.

Average Energy Bill Belgium

The graph below shows the evolution of the average energy bill in Belgium (Flanders). The energy prices shown are based on an electricity consumption of 1,600 kWh during the day and 1,900 kWh during off-peak hours and a gas consumption of 23,260 kWh per year. The energy prices are the expected annual costs based on the average energy prices of all commercial energy suppliers.

Source: VREG, 2023

Electricity Usage Belgium

The average electricity usage of a household is strongly dependent on the number of people the household consists of. In the table below the average electricity consumption per type of household can be found, based on numbers of the Flemish regulator VREG.

Gas Usage Belgium

The average gas consumption strongly depends on a number of factors, such as the insulation of the house and the way in which you cook or heat the house. The average gas consumption can therefore differ greatly per household. The consumption is calculated per access point and is therefore the average gas consumption of all consumers with a gas connection.

In Flanders, according to the VREG, the average gas consumption per access point was 13,172 kWh per year in 2020.The average consumption of natural gas in Belgium per type of user is displayed in the table below.