There is no such thing as a Belgian solar proposal. There is a Flemish one, a Walloon one, and a Brussels one, and they reach different conclusions about the same roof. An installer using a single template across the country is producing an accurate document in one region and a misleading one in the other two.
Direct answer. The best solar proposal software in Belgium is whichever tool lets you maintain three separate regional financial models against one technical design. In practice that means a Belgian or Dutch market domestic tool for residential, and SurgePV for commercial work where the proposal also has to carry the layout and single-line diagram. No platform ships Belgium’s three regional tariff regimes preconfigured.
TL;DR
- Three regions, three financial models. Pick the template by the customer's distribution operator.
- The Flemish capacity tariff charges on monthly peak draw, so peak reduction has value the array alone does not deliver.
- Self-consumption carries the case since the spinning-meter benefit ended in Flanders.
- Battery attachment is rising, driven by both self-consumption and peak shaving. Model the two benefits separately.
- Belgian electricity prices are high, which is what makes the self-consumption case strong despite a modest solar resource.
What Belgium Actually Changes About Proposal Software
The region decides the model. Flanders, served by Fluvius, ended the spinning-meter arrangement with the digital meter rollout and added a capacity component to the network tariff. Wallonia, principally ORES and RESA, applies its own prosumer tariff. Brussels, served by Sibelga, has operated a green certificate scheme. Three arrangements, three payback calculations, identical hardware.
Peak draw is now billable in Flanders. Where the network tariff includes a capacity component based on monthly peak, a customer can reduce cost by flattening demand as well as by generating. A proposal that models only energy displaced misses a second saving, and one that includes a battery without modelling peak shaving undersells it.
Self-consumption is the value. Belgian retail electricity prices are high by European standards while export value is low. Every kilowatt-hour used on site is worth several times one exported, which means the self-consumption share is the headline output of the model, and it is sensitive to load profile.
Modest resource, strong economics. Belgium’s solar resource is comparable to the Netherlands and northern Germany, which is to say unremarkable. The economics work because electricity is expensive, not because the sun is generous. Overstating yield to make a case is unnecessary and easily caught.
Inspection is a gate. Installations are verified by an accredited body before energisation, and the equipment must be compliant with Synergrid C10/11. A proposal that commits to a commissioning date without allowing for inspection is optimistic.
The Platforms Ranked for Belgium
| Platform | Best for | Regional tariff flexibility | Peak shaving modelling | Design output | Price per seat per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurgePV | Commercial proposals plus design | Configurable | Yes, hourly | Full, with DWG | $1,299 to $1,899 |
| Belgian and Dutch market tools | Domestic workflow | Best regional fit | Varies | Layout | Subscription, EUR |
| PVsyst | Financed and larger commercial | Manual | Via hourly output | Yield only | ~$500 |
| OpenSolar | Low-volume domestic | Configurable | Basic | Basic | $0 plus transaction fees |
| HelioScope | Commercial layout and yield | Manual | Via hourly output | Layout only | ~$1,188 |
| Aurora Solar | Larger commercial-facing teams | Configurable | Configurable | Good | $1,908 to $3,108 |
| Spreadsheet over tool output | Bespoke commercial cases | Fully manual | Manual | None | Time |
SurgePV suits commercial work because the proposal, the hourly self-consumption model, the string design, and the single-line diagram come from one model. Technical detail in best solar design software in Belgium.
Belgian and Dutch market domestic tools are the better residential fit because they are closer to local tariff structures.
PVsyst provides the hourly generation series that a capacity tariff analysis needs, and remains what lenders accept. See PVsyst price.
Try the software behind this guide
Model self-consumption and peak shaving from one file
SurgePV produces 8,760-hour generation against the customer load, sizes the system and any storage, and emits the single-line diagram plus a white-label proposal.
Book a free SurgePV demo →No credit card. 20-minute walkthrough on one of your own projects.
What a Belgian Proposal Has to Contain
- System specification with modules, inverter, and kWp, plus C10/11 compliance confirmation.
- Generation forecast with the data source named.
- Self-consumption share modelled hourly and stated explicitly.
- Regional tariff arrangement named, with the customer’s distribution operator identified.
- Capacity tariff impact where it applies, showing modelled peak draw before and after.
- Battery case, if included, split into self-consumption gain and peak shaving benefit.
- Inspection and commissioning timeline including verification by an accredited body.
- Assumptions for electricity price and degradation.
Item 5 is the differentiator in Flanders. Showing a customer that the system also lowers their capacity charge is a second, independent saving most competitors will not have modelled.
Pricing in Euro
| Stack | Annual cost | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| OpenSolar | €0 plus fees | Domestic proposal |
| PVsyst | ~€460 | Hourly yield, no proposal |
| HelioScope | ~€1,093 | Commercial layout and yield |
| SurgePV | ~€1,195 to €1,747 | Proposal plus design and SLD |
| Aurora | ~€1,755 to €2,859 | Proposal plus design |
Converted at an illustrative 0.92.
What Most Belgian Installers Get Wrong
They apply the Flemish payback model to Walloon and Brussels customers.
It is an easy error because the technical design is genuinely identical, and the sales team rarely thinks of the distribution operator as a modelling input. But the regional arrangements differ enough that a payback figure calculated for Flanders can be materially wrong elsewhere. Build three templates and select by the customer’s grid operator, the same way you would select by their tariff.
The second mistake is selling a battery on self-consumption alone in Flanders. Where a capacity tariff applies, peak shaving is a separate, quantifiable benefit, and leaving it out of the model understates the storage case.
When Proposal Software Is Not the Constraint
If commercial enquiries stall on whether the roof can take the load, that is a structural question.
Our solar civil and structural engineering team handles the assessment, with calculations via STAAD Pro report calculations, and solar rooftop detailed engineering design covers the construction pack. See the sample design pack.
Conclusion
- Pick the financial template by distribution operator. Fluvius, ORES, RESA, and Sibelga imply different models.
- Model peak draw where a capacity tariff applies. It is a second saving competitors usually miss.
- Do not inflate the yield. Belgian economics rest on high electricity prices, not on a strong solar resource.
In this country series: solar software in Belgium, best solar design software in Belgium, shading analysis software in Belgium, Aurora Solar review. Tool deep dives: Opensolar review, Pvsol review.
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Disclosure and accuracy note
Commercial relationship. Heaven Designs and SurgePV are part of the same group. Treat our recommendation of SurgePV as a vendor making its own case, not an independent verdict. We have tried to describe every other product fairly, and to say plainly where a competitor is the better choice.
Pricing. All prices are indicative, compiled from public sources when this page was written. They vary by tier, region, contract term and exchange rate, and change without notice. Several vendors quote rather than publish, and some price in currencies other than the US dollar, so a converted figure moves with the exchange rate. Confirm current pricing with the vendor before you decide anything.
Trademarks and corrections. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners, and are used here for identification and comparison only. Their use does not imply affiliation with or endorsement by those companies. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
FAQ
What is the best solar proposal software in Belgium? Whichever tool lets you maintain separate regional financial models against one technical design. Belgian or Dutch market tools for domestic, SurgePV for commercial work that also needs the layout and single-line diagram.
Why do proposals differ between Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels? Because support schemes and network tariffs are regional even though the technical rules are federal. Flanders uses a capacity-based network tariff, Wallonia applies its own prosumer arrangement, and Brussels has operated a green certificate scheme.
What is the Flemish capacity tariff and does it belong in the proposal? It is a network charge based on monthly peak draw. It belongs in the proposal because reducing peak demand is a saving separate from displacing energy, and it strengthens the battery case.
Does Belgium still have net metering? The spinning-meter arrangement ended in Flanders with the digital meter rollout. Exported energy is now worth substantially less than consumed energy, which is why self-consumption modelling matters.
How much does solar proposal software cost in Belgium? From €0 with OpenSolar to roughly €2,900 per user per year at Aurora’s higher tiers. Cross-platform math is in our solar design software pricing breakdown.
Does the inspection requirement affect the proposal timeline? Yes. Installations are verified by an accredited body before energisation, so the commissioning date quoted to the customer should allow for it.
What about the design software decision separately? Covered in best solar design software in Belgium.
