Energy Providers in Belgium

An energy supplier is a company that sells electricity and gas to individuals and businesses. You have several options: subscribe only for electricity, only for gas, or both combined. While some suppliers are available everywhere in Belgium, others only target certain regions. All the information you will need about these providers is in this article.

Energy Providers In Belgium

Since the privatisation of the Belgian energy market a lot of things have changed. ENGIE Electrabel, which is the former monopolist on the Belgian market, currently has to compete with multiple providers. Many new energy providers have been created and foreign providers, such as EDF (Luminus), have entered the market.

The privatisation of the energy market means that providers nowadays have to compete amongst one another for the consumer. This causes differences between the prices of contracts, customer service standards and the extra services offered by providers.

Energy Providers Flanders

Flanders is the region in Belgium where the highest number of energy providers are active. Moreover, many providers have decided to only offer electricity and/or natural gas in this region, such as Aspiravi Energy and Ebem.

In total there are 18 providers active in Flanders.

Energy Providers Wallonia

The energy market in Wallonia is very similar to the energy market in the Flemish region. This is also the reason why most energy companies choose to supply energy in both regions. There is only one energy supplier that is only active in the Walloon region, namely Cociter.

In total there are 10 providers active in Wallonia.

Energy Providers Brussels

The energy market of Brussels works in a different way than the markets of Flanders and Wallonia. In general the protection for the consumer is way higher and the size of the market is relatively small, which makes Brussels less attractive for the energy providers. Therefore only a small number of providers are currently active in Brussels.

In total there are 5 providers active in Brussels.

Types Of Energy Suppliers In Belgium

Nowadays, energy suppliers have to work hard to convince consumers. They must be distinctive from the competition and offer an interesting package of services. As an energy comparator, we generally see four different types of energy suppliers, namely:

1. Full-service energy suppliers: mainly larger energy suppliers offering all types of contracts and rates.
2. Green energy suppliers: small energy suppliers who only offer green electricity.
3. Cheap energy suppliers: energy suppliers who want to offer the lowest rates on the market.
4. Specialised energy suppliers: companies whose main business activity is other than supplying electricity or natural gas.

It is possible that an energy supplier falls into more than one category. For example, it is possible that an energy supplier with a full-service service also chooses to supply green energy to all its customers. In this section we look at the most important positioning of the energy supplier.

Full service energy suppliers

Full-service energy suppliers are mainly larger energy suppliers that offer all types of energy contracts and tariffs. In addition, these suppliers also offer various energy-related services, such as boiler maintenance and the installation of solar panels. The following energy suppliers fall into this category:

• ENGIE Electrabel;
• Luminus;
• Eneco;
• TotalEnergies.

Green energy suppliers

Green electricity and sustainability are becoming increasingly popular and a growing number of households find it important to know where their energy comes from. Green energy suppliers are mainly smaller suppliers with a limited supply. It is often only possible to choose from one type of tariff and some suppliers do not offer natural gas. The following energy suppliers fall into this category:

• Aspiravi Energy;
• Bolt Energie;
• Brusol;
• Cociter;
• Ebem;
• Ecopower;
• Trevion;
• Wase Wind;
• Wind Voor “A”.

The new energy supplier Tina Energy says it also falls under the green energy suppliers. However, this energy supplier uses nuclear energy in combination with electricity from renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and windmills, to provide CO2-neutral electricity. Although no CO2 is released with this electricity, Tina Energy does not yet fall into the category of green energy suppliers.

Cheap energy suppliers

The cheap energy suppliers try to offer the lowest energy rates on the market by, for example, offering a stripped-down service. All business activities are aimed at keeping costs as low as possible, which means that energy rates are generally much lower.

The fact that the tariffs of these suppliers are lower does not immediately mean that these energy suppliers are not good or unreliable. However, the offer or service may differ. The following energy suppliers fall into this category:

• Mega;
• Elegant;
• Energie.be.

Specialised energy suppliers

The specialised energy suppliers are companies that are mainly active in other sectors, but have also entered the energy market. Supplying electricity and natural gas to consumers is often not one of the main business activities of these suppliers.

Becoming a customer of these energy suppliers has many advantages if you use the other services that these suppliers offer. The following energy suppliers fall into this category:

• OCTA+;
• DATS24.

In addition to these two energy suppliers, TotalEnergies can also be added in this category. Still, TotalEnergies fits better in the category of full-service energy suppliers. The company has diversified strongly and has become a major electricity producer and supplier, with an extensive range of formulas and energy-related services.

How To Switch Energy Suppliers In Belgium?

In Belgium, consumers are completely free to switch energy suppliers at any time. Also when the duration of the contract has yet to end, it is possible to switch without any additional costs. You will only have to take into account the cancellation period of one month.

In order to switch energy suppliers in Belgium, you will only have to request a new contract with a different provider. When everything is confirmed, your new provider will contact your old provider in order to cancel the contract.

After this, the energy distributor of your region will contact you for the meter readings. Once these have been sent, you will receive the final invoice within a few weeks. After payment of the final invoice, the switch has been completed.

You can find more general information about energy in the Belgium Energy Guide.

Switch Energy Suppliers With CallMePower

CallMePower has been active on the Belgian energy market since 2015 and helped thousands of consumers and small businesses with switching contracts. We work together with multiple Belgian Energy Suppliers and can help you with comparing and switching, completely for free.