Energy-label bureaucracy blocks Dutch homeowners from securing accurate ratings

Homeowners across the Netherlands are struggling to prove energy-efficiency upgrades and secure accurate energy labels for their properties, according to Vereniging Eigen Huis, which says missing paperwork, confusing rules, and unclear requirements are leaving many residents with worse labels than they deserve.

The advocacy group says the problems appear nationwide and are confirmed by an internal analysis and a survey of more than 4,000 members. The issues affect both homeowners trying to upgrade their label and those seeking to show improvements made by previous owners.

General director Cindy Kremer called the situation “unjust and unnecessary” because homeowners can be penalized for lacking documentation that should follow the home itself. “Evidence must be clearer and always linked to the home, and not to the person submitting it,” she said.

The group says the challenge has grown as energy labels have become central to home values and mortgages. ING began including the label in mortgage-rate calculations in April, and other banks offer sustainability discounts for higher-rated homes. A B-label can cut interest rates by 0.15 percentage point. Buyers can also borrow more for homes with strong labels, and homeowners can access larger loans for energy-saving measures.

Although 53 percent of surveyed members hold an A-label or higher and only 11 percent have a D-label or lower, many still report problems. Over half said they took steps to improve their home’s energy rating, while one-third did not—often because their homes already had high labels. Some respondents said labels do not always match real-world comfort. One homeowner wrote, “My home is colder than the label indicates. I bought the house five years ago with a B-label.”

Energy labels, required for selling, renting, or delivering a home for the past decade, run from green A++++ for the most efficient to red G for the least efficient and remain valid for 10 years. A study by the Nederlandse Vereniging van Makelaars found the price gap between an A-label and a G-label can reach 55,000 euros.

But Helen Visser of Vereniging Eigen Huis said many homeowners do not know which improvements count under the current system. “Many homeowners think they are improving their home, but it happens that such a measure does not count at all in determining the label,” she said. Air conditioners used for heating and infrared panels, for example, do not earn positive assessments.

The organization says three-quarters of homeowners do not know which measures lead to a better label, and 80 percent only partly understand which documents they must supply. Missing records from previous owners frequently stall applications.

“Making a home more sustainable is customization,” Visser said, noting that insulation, heating systems, ventilation, and solar energy differ per home and shape the final rating.