The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (“ACM”) has announced developments concerning energy supplier ANWB Energie, following ongoing supervision of the company’s billing processes. ANWB Energie has largely resolved the operational issues that previously caused significant delays in issuing annual and final energy bills. This regulatory intervention dates to April 2026, when the ACM intensified its oversight due to the company's substantial backlog. At that time, ANWB Energie formally committed to resolving its administrative issues by June 12, 2026, and has since kept the regulator thoroughly updated on its progress.
According to a recent report issued by ANWB Energie, a localized group of approximately 700 customers continues to experience prolonged delays, having waited more than six weeks for their annual or final bills. To address this remaining deficit, the company has made a formal commitment to the ACM to provide immediate remediation and financial redress. An ANWB representative will personally contact each affected customer within a three-week timeframe to resolve their accounts. Furthermore, the company will automatically pay 150 euros compensation to every customer within this defined group, explicitly noting that eligible consumers do not need to initiate contact to receive this disbursement. The ACM will strictly monitor the execution of these terms to guarantee absolute compliance.
The root cause of these billing delays is predominantly tied to specific metering hardware limitations, as ANWB Energie operates via dynamic energy contracts. These contracts technically require a smart meter that automatically transmits real-time consumption data to the system operator. However, the vast majority of the remaining affected customers possess either legacy analog meters with dials or digital meters configured not to transmit data. A smaller fraction of this group is experiencing separate, localized technical or administrative anomalies that prevent the standard generation of invoices.
To rectify these hardware constraints, regional system operators will issue notifications to households with legacy meters within this year, offering to replace their equipment free of charge with either a smart meter or a non-transmitting digital meter. Concurrently, because dynamic contracts are incompatible with legacy meters, ANWB Energie will formally offer these non-smart meter customers a standard model contract. In addition, the supplier is transparently advising these specific consumers that transitioning to an alternative energy provider may be in their optimal financial and operational interest.
(ACM, 15.06.2026)
NAZALI TAX & LEGAL