The Flemish regulator has published its 2026 capacity-tariff figure: an average of €53.39 per kW of peak per year, before VAT. What that number actually does to a household bill — and why it now drives battery sizing.
VREG, the Flemish energy regulator, confirms that for 2026 the average cost of 1 kW of peak capacity is about €53.39 per year (excl. VAT), or €4.45 per month. The figure varies by grid operator, and everyone pays a minimum contribution equal to a 2.5 kW peak even if their real peak is lower.
The capacity tariff, introduced in 2023, charges households on their highest quarter-hour peak each month, averaged over the rolling 12 months — not on total consumption. This is the single biggest reason a home battery now pays for itself in Flanders: shaving the monthly peak is worth more than exporting surplus.
A worked example shows the scale. A Flemish household with a digital meter and a 4.16 kW average monthly peak (the current VREG-reported average) pays about €222 a year in capacity charges at the 2026 rate. Cutting that peak to 3 kW — a realistic outcome with scheduled charging and a small battery — saves roughly €62 a year, before any energy-price benefit.
Fluvius, the grid operator, is still processing a backlog of battery registrations from December 2025, so owners waiting on paperwork should not assume their system is already reflected in their tariff calculation. Registration status affects how the peak is measured and billed.
The practical takeaway: if you are buying a battery in Flanders this year, size it to shave your evening peak, not to export. Every kW of peak you avoid is worth about €53 a year — and that is before you count the energy you stop buying at the most expensive hours.
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