Upgrading from single-phase to three-phase in Amsterdam. Our installation work starts at € 695 including 21% VAT; the grid operator charges roughly € 369 once. Because 1×25 A and 3×25 A sit in the same tariff band, upgrading to 3×25 A does not raise your annual standing charge.
Tick what you have or plan to add. We apply a diversity factor — not everything runs flat-out at once — and compare the result with what your connection can actually deliver.
Indication based on typical powers and a diversity factor. If in doubt we produce a real load calculation before the application — it is included in the quotation.
This is the main reason upgrade quotations are so hard to compare. One contractor quotes only their own work, another includes the grid operator, and a third gives a total without explaining what is in it.
Almost everything in the meter cupboard has to be redone: a three-phase main switch, circuits redistributed across three phases so the load is even, RCDs adjusted, and the cable between supply and consumer unit replaced if it is undersized. If the unit is already full, a new consumer unit is often the logical step — then it becomes € 895 to € 1,850 instead of € 695.
In Amsterdam that is Liander. They replace the supply itself: the street cable, main fuses and meter. For an upgrade to 3×25 A that is a one-off in the order of € 369. That invoice goes to you directly; we do not mark it up and earn nothing on it.
What we do handle is submitting the application and aligning the schedule, so you do not have to wrestle with a portal and the grid technician does not arrive to a locked door. That costs € 185 and in practice saves two or three phone calls and a wrongly filled form.
This is the misconception that puts people off. Upgrading from 1×25 A to 3×25 A does not change your annual standing charge — both sit in the same tariff band at the grid operator. You pay once, then nothing extra. Only from 3×35 A upwards do you jump to a dearer band, and then you pay hundreds of euros more every year.
“Is the grid operator included in this figure, and why are you recommending this connection size?” If you do not get a clear answer, or if 3×35 A is advised “to be safe” without a calculation, push back. That choice costs you money every year.
Grid operators group connections into bands. Within a band you pay the same standing charge whether you have one or three phases. That is exactly why the step from 1×25 A to 3×25 A is so favourable — and the step after it so expensive.
| Connection | Delivers | Suitable for | Standing charge per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1×25 A | ± 5,75 kW | Home without heavy appliances; cooking on gas or ceramic | Base category |
| 1×35 A | ± 8 kW | Uncommon; rarely installed nowadays | Higher than base |
| 3×25 A | ± 17,25 kW | Induction with wok, 11 kW charger, heat pump — most modern homes | Same as 1×25 A |
| 3×35 A | ± 24 kW | Large home with charger and heat pump and induction, or two cars | A few hundred euros higher |
| 3×50 A | ± 34,5 kW | Very large home or light commercial use | Significantly higher |
| 3×80 A en hoger | ± 55 kW and more | Commercial building, HOA garage with multiple charge points | Business rate |
Exact rates differ by grid operator and are set yearly; check current figures on your own operator’s site. What is constant: 1×25 A and 3×25 A sit in the same band, and from 3×35 A the standing charge rises substantially. That ratio is what our advice is based on.
When the load calculation comes out above 17 kW simultaneous peak. In practice that happens with an 11 kW charger, a heat pump and induction with a wok zone in a large house — or with two electric cars that both charge overnight. In every other case, 3×25 A with good load balancing is the smarter and, over time, much cheaper choice.
An upgrade quickly adds up to around twelve hundred euros. Sometimes that is unavoidable. Often it is not, and we would rather say so now than after the bill is paid.
A meter in the cupboard continuously reads your total demand and throttles the heaviest load. If your car charges while you cook, it simply charges a little slower. For a 7.4 kW charger on single phase this is almost always enough — and hundreds of euros cheaper than upgrading.
Almost every induction hob can be limited in the menu to 3.7 kW or 5.5 kW. You still cook on all zones, just not all four at full power at once. For most households that is barely noticeable in practice, and it saves the entire upgrade.
Sometimes the problem is not the supply but the distribution: six heavy appliances on two circuits. Rebalancing and adding a circuit fixes the trips without involving the grid operator.
With an EV charger of 11 kW or more, with most heat pumps, with induction with a wok zone, and with three-phase power for a workshop, sauna or whirlpool. Those appliances need three phases — no smart control changes that. If your peak load above exceeds six and a half kilowatts, upgrading is also the sensible choice, even if it still just works technically.
The work itself is one day. Lead time is set by the grid operator, and we have as little control over that as you do. What we do control: scheduling our own work so you do not need to take two days off.
We look in the meter cupboard, inventory your appliances and produce the calculation that determines which connection size you need. You get that calculation on paper — even if the outcome is that you do not need to upgrade.
You receive a fixed quotation with both amounts: our work and the expected grid-operator fee, listed separately. After approval we submit the application.
Almost all of the waiting sits here. The grid operator books a date and sends it to you directly. We stay in touch and warn you if the schedule shifts.
Where possible we prepare the consumer unit in advance: fit a new unit, redistribute circuits, ready the cabling. That keeps the grid operator’s day short.
The grid operator replaces cable, main fuses and meter — usually half a day. We are present and then finish the installation, balance circuits across the phases and test everything.
Full measurement protocol, meter-cupboard card with the new phase layout, and a signed NEN 1010 report in your inbox. After that the charger, heat pump or new hob can go live.
Our figures include materials, labour and 21% VAT. Grid-operator fees are listed separately and passed through one-to-one.
| Upgrade 1 → 3 phase, installation in existing consumer unit | per home | € 695 |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade incl. new 3-phase unit, 6 circuits | per home | € 1.395 |
| Upgrade incl. new 3-phase unit, 9 circuits | per home | € 1.615 |
| Upgrade incl. new 3-phase unit, 12 circuits | per home | € 1.845 |
| Fit a three-phase main switch | each | € 275 |
| Redistribute circuits across three phases | per unit | € 195 |
| Replace the main cable between meter and consumer unit | per metre | € 62 |
| Load calculation with report | per home | € 145 |
| Submit and manage the grid-operator application | per job | € 185 |
| Grid operator fee 3×25 A | one-off, passed through | ± € 369 |
| Grid operator fee 3×35 A and above | one-off, passed through | on quotation |
| Three-phase CEE 16 A outlet | per connection | € 385 |
|---|---|---|
| Three-phase CEE 32 A outlet | per connection | € 495 |
| Connect induction hob (perilex or 3-phase) | per connection | € 285 |
| Limit and configure induction hob | per hob | € 0 |
| Connect heat pump electrically | per unit | € 435 |
| Install 11 kW EV charger, excl. unit | per installation | € 850 |
| Dynamic load balancing | per system | € 265 |
| Add a circuit in existing consumer unit | per circuit | € 265 |
| NEN 1010 inspection after upgrade | per installation | € 295 |
All amounts include materials, labour and 21% VAT, valid in 2026 for Amsterdam and surroundings. Electrical work is always at 21%. If you upgrade as part of a rooftop solar installation on your home — for example because the inverter needs a heavier supply — that part falls under the 0% rate. Read the VAT explanation →
Our installation work starts at € 695 including 21% VAT if your consumer unit can stay. If a new three-phase unit is also needed — which is often the case, because an old single-phase unit is usually too small — it becomes € 1,395 to € 1,845 depending on the number of circuits.
On top of that the grid operator charges roughly € 369 once for an upgrade to 3×25 A. That invoice goes to you directly; we do not mark it up. Handling the application costs € 185. All in, an upgrade usually lands between € 1,250 and € 2,400.
Not for an upgrade to 3×25 A. 1×25 A and 3×25 A sit in the same tariff band, so your annual standing charge stays the same. You pay once for the change and nothing extra afterwards.
From 3×35 A it is different: you jump to a higher band and pay a few hundred euros more in standing charge every year. That is why we only recommend 3×35 A when the load calculation truly requires it — not ‘to be safe’.
With an 11 kW or 22 kW charger, with most heat pumps, with an induction hob with wok zone or teppanyaki, and with three-phase power for a workshop, sauna or whirlpool. Those appliances cannot run on a single phase.
Upgrading is also sensible once your simultaneous peak exceeds six and a half kilowatts, even if it still just works. A 1×25 A supply delivers 5.75 kW; if you are structurally close to that, trips are only a matter of time. Use the load check at the top of this page to see where you stand.
Often yes, and we would rather say so upfront. Three ways. Dynamic load balancing throttles the heaviest load when the rest of the house is drawing power — for a 7.4 kW charger that is usually enough and costs € 265 instead of well over a thousand. Your induction hob can be limited in the menu to 3.7 or 5.5 kW, which most people barely notice. And sometimes the problem is not the supply but the distribution: heavy appliances sharing one circuit.
With an 11 kW charger, a heat pump or three-phase power, none of those three help — then you must upgrade.
Our own work is one day. Lead time is set by the grid operator: allow four to ten weeks between the application and the day they visit, depending on how busy your area is.
Where possible we prepare the meter cupboard beforehand so the grid operator’s day is short and you do not need two days off. On the day itself you are without power for about half a day.
You can do it yourself via your grid operator’s portal, and it is not complicated — but they do ask for the desired connection size, meter type and meter-cupboard situation, and that is where things often go wrong.
For € 185 we handle it: submit the application, back the right connection size with the load calculation, align the schedule and make sure we are there on the agreed day. If the grid operator reschedules — which happens — you hear it from us instead of having to discover it yourself.
Usually yes, for a simple reason: a unit built for single phase often has no room for a three-phase main switch and too little space to balance circuits across three phases. And a home that is heavy enough to need an upgrade usually also needs more circuits.
If your unit was fitted after 2010 and has spare space, sometimes only the main switch and a redistribution are enough. We tell you honestly at the survey what applies.
With three phases you have three times 25 amps, but not as one big pool: each phase has its own 25 A. If all your heavy appliances sit on phase one, that phase still trips while capacity remains on the other two.
That is why we balance circuits deliberately: kitchen on one phase, laundry and bathroom on the second, charger and lighting on the third. It costs no extra material, only a moment’s thought — but it is the difference between an installation that works and one that keeps tripping after an expensive upgrade.
Yes. Our installation work starts at € 695 including 21% VAT if your consumer unit can stay, or € 1,395 to € 1,845 if a new three-phase unit is needed. The grid operator charges roughly € 369 once for an upgrade to 3×25 A, invoiced to you directly.
The key point worth knowing: 1×25 A and 3×25 A sit in the same tariff band, so upgrading to 3×25 A does not increase your annual standing charge. Only from 3×35 A upwards does the yearly cost rise significantly. We produce a load calculation before applying, and we can supply it, the quotation and the inspection report in English.
21%. The reduced 9% rate in the Netherlands applies only to labour for insulating, plastering, painting and wallpapering in homes older than two years; electrical work is not on that list.
One exception can work in your favour: if you upgrade as part of a rooftop solar installation on your home, the meter-cupboard work required for that falls under the 0% rate. Tell us upfront and we will split the invoice correctly.
We produce the load calculation first and only then say whether you need to upgrade — even if the outcome is that you do not.
If you choose “as soon as possible”, we call within four hours during office hours. Outside those hours, the next morning.
You speak to someone who does the work and can already say on the phone what is going on and roughly what it costs.
Tell us which language you prefer and we will make sure the right colleague calls.
The home survey is free too, with no call-out fee. You are not committed to anything.
One photo of the open meter cupboard tells us more than ten minutes on the phone. We look at it free of charge and say honestly whether anything needs doing — even if the answer is “no”.
Send photo via WhatsAppIn nine out of ten cases the trigger is an EV charger, a heat pump or a new kitchen. Below is what those cost on their own.
The hub page with the price calculator, circuit check and the full price list of more than 180 rates.
Read more1 or 3 phase, load balancing, cable run and charge points in a shared HOA garage.
Read moreWhen replacement is really needed, how many circuits you need and what a new unit costs.
Read moreHow many dedicated circuits a modern kitchen needs and why induction wants three phases.
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