A more sustainable home? Here are the options

Sustainability is increasingly important to many people. Climate change is becoming more visible and energy is still pricey. This motivates people to take sustainability measures and save energy. You can think about buying solar panels or a heat pump, but it can also be in smaller measures such as insulating your attic or cavity walls.

Would you like to make your home more sustainable, but don't yet know the best way to finance it? You can choose to finance energy-saving measures as part of the mortgage, for example when buying a house or renovating.

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Note: The rules may vary from lender to lender. In addition, a mortgage is always customized. It is important that your mortgage suits your personal situation. Therefore, always get good advice.

You can often finance these energy-saving measures:

• Solar panels
• Cavity wall insulation
• Roof insulation
• Floor insulation
• Heat pump
• HR++ glazing

If you buy a (different) house, there are several options for co-financing energy-saving measures in your new - or co-located - mortgage.

You may also be able to borrow extra for sustainability measures if your gross family income is above €33,000 per year. In most cases the amount is up to € 9,000. Will you turn your house into a zero-meg home? Then you can borrow more. With energy performance guarantee, the amount can go up to € 25,000, without this guarantee it is up to € 15,000. The energy performance guarantee gives homeowners the certainty that the investments actually lead to a more energy-efficient home.

With such loans, you must tell the lender in advance what measures you are going to take and what the expected costs will be.

An Energy Savings Budget is available through the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG). If you qualify for a mortgage with NHG, you can borrow extra for sustainability measures. For this budget, you do not have to indicate in advance what you will use the money for. This is useful if you do not yet know exactly what measures you are going to take. The money is placed in a construction depot. Within two years you must have spent it on energy-saving measures. Some lenders offer the Energy Savings Budget even if the mortgage is taken out without NHG.

Has your home received a better energy label due to the changes? Then you may be eligible for an interest rate discount on your mortgage. However, this is not the case with all lenders. In addition, the rules and conditions may also differ per lender.

Not going to buy another house, but want to make your current home more sustainable? That is also possible. If there is excess value on your house, you can consider using it for the sustainability measures. If you do not have a surplus value, you can still increase your existing mortgage to 106 percent of the free market value of the house for sustainability measures.

The Stimuleringsfonds Volkshuisvesting (SvN) also offers various loans and subsidies for energy-saving measures. On the website you will find an overview of the possibilities. The Dutch government - through the municipality or the RVO - also provides various subsidies for sustainability measures.