De Centrale

What De Centrale does

De Centrale is a Lisse, Netherlands-based private company founded in July 2013 by fiscal jurist Romano Hagen. It operates as a regulatory-services intermediary that simplifies Dutch sustainability subsidy and tax-incentive applications for private individuals, businesses, homeowner associations (VVEs), installers, and municipalities. Its core offerings include VAT (BTW) refund services for home batteries and solar panels, application processing for ISDE, EIA, and SDE++ subsidies, solar panel inspections, and sustainable financing via its sister company Duurzaam Gefinancierd.

The company runs an integrated web platform with four purpose-built portals: a customer subsidy application portal (portal.de-centrale.nl), a personal dashboard (mijn.de-centrale.nl), an installer dashboard (dashboard.de-centrale.nl), and a self-service BTW eligibility test for home batteries (batterij.de-centrale.nl). These portals serve a four-sided ecosystem of consumers, businesses, a network of 1,100+ installers, and six municipalities on the Noord-Veluwe region that outsource subsidy administration to De Centrale. The platform digitizes eligibility checks, document verification, deadline monitoring, and correspondence with Dutch authorities (RVO, Belastingdienst).

De Centrale generates revenue primarily through professional-service fees of €395 ex VAT per subsidy application (EIA, ISDE, battery), VAT refund assistance fees, recurring software subscriptions for installer dashboard access, and affiliate/referral fees from Duurzaam Gefinancierd financing placements. Its go-to-market combines a direct-to-consumer self-service portal motion with a B2B2C channel through installers and municipal partnerships. Since founding it has served 300,000+ customers and maintains a 9.6/10 average rating across 15,500+ independent reviews, but it operates exclusively in the Netherlands and is highly exposed to Dutch subsidy policy cycles.

Name

De Centrale

Legal name

De Centrale

Website

https://de-centrale.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

De Centrale is a Netherlands-based regulatory intermediary that helps private individuals, businesses, installers, and municipalities navigate Dutch sustainability subsidies (ISDE, EIA, SDE++), VAT refunds on solar panels and home batteries, inspections, and sustainable financing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Subsidy Services

NAICS

Business Support Services (5614)

akta.pro primary industry

Decommissioning, Recycling & Producer Responsibility Regulation (EUAMANAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Energy Efficiency & Green Retrofit Financing (FSALAHAK)

Keywords

• Sustainability subsidy services
• VAT refund assistance
• Green energy financing
• Business energy subsidies
• Solar panel inspections

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisse

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subsidy Application Services: De Centrale charges fees for processing subsidy applications on behalf of customers. For EIA (Energy Investment Deduction) subsidy applications, the fee is €395 excluding VAT. The company handles the entire application process including eligibility checks, document verification, and correspondence with RVO.
2. VAT Return Services: The company earns revenue by assisting customers with VAT (BTW) returns on home batteries and historical solar panel installations. They handle registration, administration, VAT filings, and communicate with the Tax Authority.
3. Software Subscriptions: Installers can subscribe to the all-in-one software platform for managing subsidies and financing, accessing a unified dashboard for customer management.
4. Financing Services: Through Duurzaam Gefinancierd (sister company), the company facilitates sustainable financing solutions for consumers and businesses looking to fund energy improvements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

De Centrale processes Dutch government sustainability subsidy applications (ISDE, EIA, SDE++) and handles VAT (BTW) refund claims on home batteries and solar panels for private individuals, businesses, installers, and homeowner associations. The company also facilitates sustainable financing through its sister platform Duurzaam Gefinancierd and offers solar panel inspection services, delivering all offerings through dedicated web portals and an installer network of 1,100+ partners across the Netherlands.

Product overview

De Centrale is a comprehensive sustainability services platform offering VAT refunds, subsidies, and financing solutions for residential and commercial energy improvements. The core offering includes BTW Teruggave services (VAT refunds for home batteries and solar panels), ISDE and EIA subsidy application services for both private and business customers, and financing through Duurzaam Gefinancierd. The company operates through multiple web portals (Portal, Dashboard, Mijn De Centrale) serving different user segments (private individuals, businesses, installers, municipalities) and provides inspection services for solar panels. All services are accessible via an integrated platform approach with a network of over 1,100 installers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BTW Teruggave Thuisbatterij VAT refund service for home battery systems that assists private individuals with claiming back the 21% VAT on home battery purchases when combined with a dynamic energy contract and energy trading activities.
• BTW Teruggave Zonnepanelen VAT refund service for solar panel systems, helping private individuals claim back VAT on solar panel installations.
• ISDE Subsidie Particulier Investment Subsidy for Sustainable Energy and energy savings for private individuals, covering heat pumps, solar boilers, and insulation measures.
• ISDE Subsidie Zakelijk Business investment subsidy for sustainable energy and energy savings, covering solar boilers, (hybrid) heat pumps, insulation measures, and heat network connections.
• Energie Investeringsaftrek (EIA)

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.6/10 average customer rating from 15,500+ independent reviews
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Municipalities of Noord-Veluwe (Ermelo, Elburg, Harderwijk, Hattem, Oldebroek) and Waterschap Vallei en VeluwecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2021Since March 2021, six municipalities in the Noord-Veluwe region have partnered with De Centrale to process subsidy applications for greening initiatives and water management projects. De Centrale administers these municipal subsidy programs on behalf of the local governments, providing residents with access to subsidies for sustainability improvements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Loket: Dutch HR, payroll, and accounting platform for SMBs that handles certain business subsidy and grant applications (including some sustainability-related schemes). Comparable as a digital intermediary processing government paperwork on behalf of Dutch businesses.

Broad incumbents

• Independer: Dutch comparison and advisory platform for insurance and financial products that helps consumers navigate complex administrative processes. Comparable business model of intermediating between consumers and government/financial institutions, though not focused specifically on sustainability subsidies.
• Zonneplan: Major Dutch solar panel installer and energy company that also assists customers with subsidy applications for solar and battery installations. Overlaps with De Centrale in the subsidy/VAT return space but operates a much broader solar installation business as its core offering.
• Vattenfall: Large European energy company with a Dutch residential sustainability business (solar panels, heat pumps, batteries). Already identified as an enterprise customer of De Centrale but represents a potential competitor if it in-houses subsidy intermediation services.
• Eneco: Major Dutch energy supplier with substantial sustainability product portfolio including solar, heat pumps, and increasingly battery offerings. Could expand into subsidy/VAT assistance for its customer base, making it a potential competitor as well as a complementary distribution channel.

Direct peers

• Subsidie.nl: Dutch subsidy information and comparison platform helping consumers and businesses identify and apply for available government subsidies. Directly comparable to De Centrale's subsidy application services for sustainability investments, with overlapping customer base and similar revenue model around subsidy intermediation.
• EnergySage: US-based solar marketplace and information platform that helps consumers compare solar options and navigate federal/state incentives (e.g., ITC). Closest international comparable to De Centrale's model of intermediating between consumers, installers, and government incentive programs.

Others

• Milieu Centraal: Dutch environmental information platform providing consumers with guidance on sustainability measures for homes, including subsidies and energy savings. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but operates in the same sustainability decision-journey as De Centrale and could partner or compete for content visibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-centrale-btw-teruggave

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about De Centrale