Getting started with affordable energy -efficient homes and buildings News item

News item | 11-07-2025 | 18:00

Minister Keijzer sees good reasons to make existing homes more sustainable right now. Due to rising and whimsical energy costs, pressure on households in poorly insulated houses and dependence on fossil energy, action is needed. Sustainability increases the resilience of the Netherlands, increases the value of owner -occupied homes and business premises and contributes to a healthy living environment for future generations.

Corporation homes: no rental freezing, but more sustainability

Now that the rental freezing is canceled, housing associations will continue to focus unabated on making social rental homes more sustainable. This can lower the fixed costs of many people. Certainly now that housing associations do not charge a rent increase for insulation. The agreement is that housing associations no later than 2028 all homes with energy label E, F or G more sustainable to better energy labels. They are already well on their way: in 2022 there were still 247,400 homes with a poor energy label. In 2023 this fell to 180,700 and in 2024 there were still 142,900.

Local insulation approach Municipalities is starting

Minister Keijzer also sees opportunities for homeowners and VVEs. Municipalities have received resources to set up local insulation approaches for these target groups. This means that residents – especially households with low incomes – are actively supported with advice, financing and subsidies. In the meantime, this is gradually starting to deliver visible results: in the first quarter of this year, 20,000 homes were insulated, compared to 8,000 at the end of 2024. Of these, 1,600 of which were tackled via do-it-yourself insulation. Compared to last year, more municipalities are also actively working on implementation. For the third and final round, 340 of the 342 municipalities have applied for more resources. To achieve the purpose of 750,000 isolated homes in 2030, a substantial gear is needed. That is why, among other things, support to municipalities is strengthened.

National regulations give more sustainability a boost

Also at the national level, powerful measures are used to make sustainability for broad target groups feasible and affordable:

• The investment subsidy for sustainable energy and energy saving (ISDE) was awarded more than 205,000 times in 2024 for 210,000 insulation measures and 90,000 heat options (such as heat pumps).
• In 2024, the Subsidy Scheme for Sustainable VVEs (SVVE) helped more than 580 VvEs with a subsidy.
• The National Heat Fund offers interest -free loans to homeowners with low or middle incomes, and reaches more and more people with lower incomes who were previously not working on sustainability. Last year nearly 30,000 households used National Heat Fund.
• There are subsidy schemes for private landlords (SVOH) and Social Real Estate (Dumava).

These instruments show how financial incentives and accessible loans broaden the action perspective for sustainability. They support homeowners, VvEs, social and private landlords and institutions such as schools and healthcare locations. A good energy label is an important starting point. From 2030, a new calculation method fits in better with the actual energy consumption.

Tackle bottlenecks

Although the benefits are clear, the sustainability of buildings is not automatic. Netcongestie, staff shortages and the rollout of heat networks slow down the progress. The government is committed to tackling these bottlenecks. More attention is needed to make rental homes with private landlords and VVEs more sustainable. The goal remains: in 2050 every building emission -free heating.