Saving on your housing costs? Here's how to do it!

Do you want to save on your housing costs? Then there are several ways to do so. Over the past year and a half, average housing costs have risen significantly, mainly due to the high price of energy. In addition to monthly mortgage costs or rent, other expenses include taxes, fees, home insurance, maintenance and subscriptions. However, energy is by far the biggest expense after rent or mortgage.

Price cap disappears in 2024

Although prices are no longer as extremely high as they were late last year, you will still pay much more for gas and electricity than you did in 2021. Moreover, the price cap for energy disappears from 2024, so your energy costs could rise again starting next year and impact your living expenses. Of course, you can save on your housing costs by paying close attention to your energy consumption, but ideally you would like to ensure that your energy consumption is permanently reduced in the future. You can do this by making your home more sustainable.

Making your home more sustainable

For example, you can think about purchasing a heat pump, installing solar panels or insulating the home. Of course, making a home more sustainable does come at a price. So you first have to spend money before you can save. Although preservation is not cheap, it almost always results in savings. Especially if your home now has a worse energy label. See what ways you can finance making your home more sustainable.

Saving on your mortgage

If you own a home for sale, your mortgage is probably one of the biggest expenses. Do you have a mortgage with a high interest rate and the fixed-interest period has not yet expired (for a long time)? Then you may be able to save money by switching the mortgage to a lower interest rate. You will then benefit from the lower mortgage interest rate, which will also reduce your monthly expenses. Keep in mind that switching a mortgage costs money. You have to pay penalty interest and there are notary, advisory and appraisal costs. Mortgage switching? Contact an Alpina mortgage advisor to discuss your options.

Take a look at your home insurance policies, too!

Did you purchase home and contents insurance years ago and then not look back at it? Have you recently moved in together or remodeled your home? Then it may pay off to take a closer look at your home insurance policies . Check what amount your home and belongings are insured for. Changes to the home may affect your insurance. Also, compare different insurers. You may find that you are cheaper with another insurer. On Alpina.nl you can easily and quickly compare different providers.

You can also extend a home insurance policy with liability insurance, legal assistance insurance and continuous travel insurance. When you take out these insurances together we call this a home insurance package. When you take out a home insurance package, you also get a discount on the premium.