1.5 million drafty homes in NL and Amsterdam has most

Amsterdam has the most homes with low energy labels, particularly among privately owned properties and rentals, research by environmental organisation Natuur & Milieu has shown.

In total, 1.5 million of the 7.8 million Dutch homes have E, F and G energy labels and 45,173 of them are in the capital. The government has said all three labels will have to be phased out by 2030.

Although Amsterdam has the most low energy labels they account for just 16% of the housing stock. Towns such as Heemstede, Bloemendaal and Haarlem have their work cut out for them with 30%, 34% and 30% of their homes failing the test.

Natuur & Milieu said the real number of homes with low labels in the capital is much higher because only 40% of homes have registered energy labels. In 2015, when it became law to have a label to sell or rent out a house, a temporary label was given to all homes according to when they were built. However, many of these have never been revised to see how energy efficient they really are.

It will require ‘a huge jump’ and more compulsory measures to make homes energy efficient before the deadline, Natuur & Milieu spokesman Rob van Tilburg told the Parool. ‘It seems the government subsidies are not enough of an incentive,’ he said.

Housing corporations

Housing corporations, which have made agreements about insulation and other energy saving measures, come out better than private landlords or homeowners, who, Van Tilburg said, are less susceptible to pressure from the government.

The government has decided that homes which are not energy efficient by 2030 can no longer be rented out and housing minister Hugo de Jong also plans to include insulation in the points system for deciding how much rent landlords can charge.

It’s not enough to single out landlords and home owners should be included as well, Van Tilburg said. ‘The period in which a house is bought or sold is a good time to impose sustainability rules. It’s a natural moment because the house will be empty for a bit,’ he said.