The MR group in the Chamber is tabling a bill to extend the reduced VAT rate to smart home batteries linked to photovoltaic panels.
“This is a common-sense measure, awaited by thousands of households, as it finally aligns the VAT system with technological reality,” explains Benoit Piedboeuf, MR group leader in the Chamber and author of the proposal, from the outset. The aim is multiple: making self-consumption more accessible, easing bills and supporting green energy.
Today, the installation of solar panels benefits from a reduced rate of 6%, but smart home batteries, which have nonetheless become essential for optimising self-consumption, remain taxed at 21%. A nonsense.
“This inconsistency penalises families who want to better manage their solar production, smooth out their consumption or reduce their injection peaks. We are correcting this, because it matches the reality of practice,” continues Benoit Piedboeuf.
In concrete terms, the proposal provides that the supply and installation of smart batteries integrated with solar panels in homes older than 10 years may benefit from the reduced rate of 6%.
These batteries, capable of anticipating consumption, communicating with the grid or controlling appliances via software, have become an essential link in the residential energy system.
The impact for households is immediate. “A medium-sized battery, between 8 and 10 kWh, currently costs around 5,000 euros. The reduced rate would lower the bill by nearly 750 euros. For a family that charges its battery during the day and consumes in the evening, the annual saving can be substantial, not to mention the relief brought to the grid during peak times.”
The text also provides for a reasonable limit: the battery's capacity cannot exceed twice the power of the solar installation, in order to avoid costly oversizing and ensure strictly residential use.
For Benoit Piedboeuf, the goal is therefore clear: “we want Belgians to be able to consume their own energy, reduce their bills and take part in the energy transition without unnecessary obstacles. Green energy must be accessible, not a luxury.”
With this measure, the MR continues its line: a pragmatic, affordable energy transition focused on the consumer.
The text, co-signed by MR MPs Mathieu Michel, Vincent Scourneau, Anthony Dufrane and Hervé Cornillie, will soon be debated in the Chamber's finance committee.