When you join an energy community, it’s perfectly normal to have questions about billing. Contrary to popular belief, becoming a member of an energy community does not mean cutting ties with your traditional electricity provider: the community complements your electricity contract—it doesn’t replace it.
Once you become a member, you’ll receive two types of bills:
- Your traditional provider (Engie, Luminus, Mega, Eneco, etc.) continues to bill you for the part of your consumption not covered by the community. This bill usually works through monthly estimated advance payments, with a final annual adjustment based on your actual consumption.
- The energy community (such as Energilia) bills you only for the electricity you consume through the local network, produced by other members of the community (solar panels, cogeneration, etc.). Here, there are no advance payments: you pay each month based on your actual consumption, calculated from accurate meter data.
💡 Concrete Example: Before and After Joining Energilia
Before joining the community:
- The company Oufti consumes 300 kWh per month.
- It is only a client of PartielEnergies.
- It pays a fixed monthly advance of €100, based on an annual estimate.
- The average tariff is €0.30/kWh, which corresponds to a 300 kWh/month usage.
- At year’s end, it receives a settlement: either a refund (if it consumed less) or a surcharge (if it consumed more).
Before Energilia:
🔁 Monthly advance = €100
💬 No connection to actual monthly usage
🧾 Year-end adjustment
After joining Energilia:
- Oufti still consumes 300 kWh per month.
- Since joining the Energilia community:
- 120 kWh/month come from solar panels installed on the roof of the neighborhood Fritkot (via Energilia).
- 180 kWh/month are still supplied by PartielEnergies.
- Energilia bills based on actual consumption only, with no advance payment.
- Tariffs:
- Energilia: €0.18/kWh
- PartielEnergies: €0.30/kWh
- The advance payment with PartielEnergies remains temporarily at €100/month, but actual consumption is lower (so there will be a refund at year’s end).
Each month:
- Actual Energilia bill:
120 kWh × €0.18 = €21.60, paid the following month - PartielEnergies advance:
Still €100, but actual consumption is now only 180 kWh → actual value = €54
Total spent that month:
€100 (advance) + €21.60 (actual) = €121.60
At year’s end (over 12 months):
- Martin paid: 12 × €100 = €1,200 to PartielEnergies
- His actual consumption through PartielEnergies:
12 × 180 kWh × €0.30 = €648 - He receives a refund of €552 from PartielEnergies
- He also paid: 12 × €21.60 = €259.20 to Energilia
Total actually paid for the year:
€648 (PartielEnergies) + €259.20 (Energilia) = €907.20
🧮 Before Energilia, Martin paid: €1,200
🎉 After Energilia, he actually pays: €907.20
💸 Annual savings: €292.80
⚠️ Note: Oufti operates in Tournai, not Lisbon. Sunshine levels in Belgium vary significantly with the seasons. So he won’t get exactly 120 kWh/month all year:
- In winter, local production might only cover 40–60 kWh.
- In summer, it could reach 150 or even 180 kWh.
In short: the sun isn’t on a permanent contract, but when it shows up, it doesn’t hold back! 😄
🔍 No worries: we anticipate all of this at Energilia
At Energilia, we know every consumption profile is unique. That’s why our operational partner, RaYSun, conducts a personalized study before any subscription:
✅ Analysis of your quarter-hourly consumption files when available, or simulation based on available data
✅ Review of your recent bills
✅ Simulation of your potential savings based on actual/projected data (for new buildings or those without smart meters)
The result: you know in advance whether joining the community is beneficial for you—fully transparent, no unnecessary commitment.
This two-bill system may seem surprising at first, but it allows for a fairer distribution of resources. It also offers you a way to reduce your overall energy bill by consuming more locally and sustainably while reducing your advance payments. By choosing this model, you support a more cooperative approach to energy—while keeping the security of a traditional supplier to meet your remaining needs.
