Energy billHow much money do you spend on energy at home? How do you try to bring costs down? We ask a Dutch person these questions every week. Today: René Quist (49) from Rotterdam.
How do you live?
“I live in a terraced house with a living space of 90 square meters in Rotterdam. My house was built in 2000 in the Nieuw Terbregge district. I live very well, because at the time this house was already ahead of the curve in terms of energy-saving measures. The house is therefore well insulated and there was already a solar water heater in it. I live there alone and my daughters aged 12 and 15 are there every other week.
I came to live there in 2016. Four years ago I bought six solar panels. I was self-employed at the time and I didn’t feel like putting my money into my pension. I found solar panels more fun and an immediately profitable investment. I saw my energy bill drop from 80 to 45 euros per month. So a year later I decided to buy another five solar panels. I have never regretted that. I now generate more than I consume. Of course that has been a financial matter, but I am also doing it from a moral point of view. I think I should do this to do my bit for the world.”
Would you like to participate in this section yourself? Mail to [email protected]. This episode of ‘Energy Account’ has been assessed by energy performance consultant and real estate agent Fabian Grotenhuis from Dieren.
What kind of energy contract do you have?
,,I have a three-year contract with Essent. I pay 28 euros per month. My consumption was -535 kWh of electricity and 583 cubic meters of gas. I signed that contract in December 2021. I once left Essent because they had done something wrong with me, but in principle I was satisfied. So I told them to call for an offer when my new contract expired. That happened. They said in December that they expected the rates to rise significantly, so they had a very competitive offer for me. Well, it turns out that those rates have gone up.”
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I have a south-facing garden, so the sun always warms the room nicely
What do you do to lower your energy bill?
“I use as much electricity as possible during the day. I do this because I then use the electricity that I generate with my solar panels. I take this into account when washing, for example. I schedule my washing machine for noon in the afternoon, because that’s when the sun is often most intense. I find that annoying with the dishwasher. It’s just a habit that I empty it in the morning. I also use electricity as much as possible. I have a Quooker, I cook on induction and I have an electric heater. But maybe I would like to replace it with an infrared panel in the kitchen. For when I’m working there. I don’t actually use my heating between April and October. I have a south-facing garden, so the sun always warms the room nicely.
Yet in the winter I have 22 degrees in the house. I don’t like cold. And my energy bill is not high at the moment anyway. A heat pump? No, I’m not interested in any of that. Then perhaps a split air conditioner that can also heat. But that’s a big investment. The only pity is that I can’t charge my hybrid car at home. I don’t have my own driveway, so unfortunately I can’t load myself.”
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