Improving your home
Where the savings actually are in a Dutch house, and in which order to tackle them.
For most Dutch homes the order is the same: insulate first, then generate, then store, and finally change how you heat. Doing it the other way round is how people end up disappointed.
Zonnepanelen
Solar panels remain worthwhile for most owner-occupied homes, but the rules on feeding electricity back to the grid are changing. That makes it increasingly important to size the system around what you use yourself rather than filling the roof.
Thuisbatterij
A home battery stores your own electricity for when you need it. It pays off fastest with a dynamic energy contract and high evening usage, and honestly, not at all in some situations.
Warmtepomp
A hybrid heat pump works alongside your existing boiler and suits almost any home. A fully electric one requires good insulation and sometimes a different heating system.
Isolatie
Usually the first and fastest-returning step: heat you do not lose is heat you never have to generate. Cavity wall and floor insulation are often done in a single day.
Airco
Modern air conditioning also heats, which makes it a small heat pump in spring and autumn. Note that placement of the outdoor unit is subject to noise rules and, in apartments, to owners association approval.
Energiecontract
Fixed, variable or dynamic. Which contract suits you depends on your usage pattern and whether you can shift consumption to cheaper hours.
Subsidies
National subsidies exist for insulation and heat pumps, and the amount is often higher if you combine two or more measures. Conditions and deadlines are strict, so ask the company you choose who submits the application and what happens if it is rejected.
If you rent, most measures are your landlord's decision. Ask them before you send a request.
Good to know: our request form is in Dutch, and so is most of the contact with the company we find for you. If you would rather write in English, email us and we will pass your request on. Either way it goes to one screened company in your region.