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Utilities and Services in Amsterdam
If you are moving to Amsterdam it is important to understand how the local utility services work - what is available, how to pay your bills etc. In this article we overview utilities and providers in Amsterdam... |
Energy: Electricity & Gas
The energy sector in Netherlands is liberalised and there are a number of companies which you can choose from - the company you select will provide you with both electricity and gas. In Amsterdam the main company is Nuon; other companies are Eneco, Essent, EON, DONG Energy, Energie Direct, Green Choice and Delta - most have an option to purchase energy from renewable sources (groene stroom).
If you are purchasing a house you should contact the energy provider 2-3 weeks before you move in. If you are renting then check with your landlord / agent if you need to register with the energy company yourself.
Netherlands has some of the highest retail electricity prices in the world. Monthly energy bills will be in the region of €100 to €200, depending on your usage. Meter readings are done on an annual basis.
Netherlands is on 230v mains voltage with 2 pin plugs. Power cuts are extremely rare.
Water
The quality of the drinking water in Netherlands is very good. Water services are handled by regional state-owned companies - Amsterdam is serviced by Waternet.
The cost of consumption is dependent on the number of official residents in a home - roughly around €42 per person per year. If there is a water meter you will pay per cubic metre consumed.
On top of this you have to pay sewerage and maintenance fees to both Waternet and via city taxes. If you are in rental accommodation you may not have to pay for water, but check with your landlord or agent.
Rubbish & Recycling
Your rubbish will normally be collected by the council weekly or twice-weekly depending on which suburb you live. Alternatively you may have to dispose of your rubbish in a street bin (labelled "rest") with underground storage.
There are also street recycle bins for glass (glas) and paper/card (papier). Many councils around Netherlands have recently introduced plastic recycling as well.
The fees for refuse are included in city council taxes.
Communication: Telephone, TV and Internet
The market has been liberalised in the Netherlands and you are free to choose from a number of companies for telecom and media services. For cheaper deals you can buy packages which include various combinations of telephone line rental, phone calls, internet and cable TV. The main telecom company is KPN (the former state monopoly provider) which also has its "Primafoon" retail shops throughout the country. Other providers are Tele 2 and the cable companies such as UPC and Ziggo.
Home telephone costs depend on which call package you want. Prices start from €10 monthly which basically covers line rental - you will pay for each call - to about €30 per month for all inclusive calls to other Dutch landlines. Standard Internet costs around €20 per month with no data limits. |
Cable TV packages start at about €17 per month - these include English speaking channels such as BBC1, BBC2, BBC World and CNN. You will also get Dutch national channels Nederland 1/2/3; commercial channels RTL 4/5/7/8, SBS6, Veronica and Net 5 which show many imported English language shows with subtitles; and also Eurosport, Discovery, National Geographic, plus a host of foreign and local channels.There are package options for digital TV with even more channels and premium sport and film subscription channels.
Note to UK Expats: Officially there is no access from Netherlands to Internet TV services such as BBC IPlayer and ITV Player - although a few use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or proxies to work around this.
Mobile Telephones
Taking a contract (abonnementen) with a mobile telecom provider is probably the cheapest way - your monthly rate depends on how many calling minutes (belminuten) you want included. You will need to show ID and give a Dutch bank account number.
There are a number of retail mobile providers with shops in most towns and cities - such as T-Mobile, Vodafone, Telfort, KPN.
Alternatively you could buy a pre-pay phone or prepay SIM card - these can be topped up by buying credits at supermarkets, newsagents etc. No ID is necessary but you will pay rates up to €0.35 per minute for calls.
On street markets there are stall holders who will unlock phones for a nominal fee.
Paying Bills
There are various ways to pay bills in Netherlands. The cheapest and most convenient method is setting up a direct debit.
Alternatively you can be sent an "accept giro" yellow invoice slip but some companies may charge a little extra to do this. The accept giro can be paid off using internet banking or the old fashioned way by filling it in and sending it to your bank. Note that cash payment for bills is rare in Netherlands.
Cost of Living - General Services/Utilities