What to look for in a comparison site?

There are many sites that compare energy contracts, solar panels or home batteries. With these questions you can judge for yourself whether a comparison site suits you, even if you do not use the energie27 calculator. Each question shows how we do it; you draw the comparison yourself.

1. How does the site make money?

   Many comparison sites receive a fee per switch, quote request or click, or have providers pay for a place. That is not forbidden and need not be bad, but it can determine what appears at the top. Look on the site for how it makes money; if it does not say, ask.

   At energie27: from nothing at the moment. No advertising and no fees from suppliers or installers. See How does energie27 make money?

2. Are all providers included, or only partners?

   Does the comparison site also show providers that pay it nothing? And does it say how many providers it compares?

   At energie27: nobody pays for a place. The rates come from the open data of energieprijzen-nl; not all suppliers are included yet, the list is being expanded.

3. Does it use the rate or the promotion?

   You get a welcome bonus or cashback once; you pay the rate every month. A comparison based on promotional prices can turn out differently after the first year.

   At energie27: fixed contracts on the standard fixed-rate contract that every supplier must publish. Bonuses and promotions are not included unless you enter them yourself.

4. Does it calculate everything together?

   Solar panels, home battery, contract, electric car and heat pump affect each other: a battery yields less if your car already charges with the solar power during the day, and a dynamic contract works differently with a battery than without. Looking at one part on its own misses that.

   At energie27: everything in one calculation, for your own combination.

5. Does it calculate per hour, and without net metering?

   Now that net metering is ending, it matters when you use and feed back electricity. An average price per year does not see the difference between a sunny afternoon and a dark evening.

   At energie27: every hour of the year, with the real hourly market prices, for the past year with net metering and the year without.

6. Do you have to hand over details to see the result?

   If the site asks for your email address, phone number or house number before you see anything, sellers may contact you. Check what happens to your details.

   At energie27: no account, no email, no tracking. The postcode is only used to look up the grid operator and the solar yield. See the privacy statement.

7. Can you check how it calculates?

   Are the assumptions, the sources and the limits of the calculation stated? And does the site also say when something does not pay off, or when the result is uncertain?

   At energie27: the explanation is on How does this calculator work?, the formulas on the calculation model. If the payback time is long, we simply say so.

No comparison site is perfect, including us: the limits of our model are described in the calculation model. Is something wrong? Let us know.