Energy & building
Sustainable new construction
Are you planning to build your own home? Then that's the time to think about sustainable building. Sustainable building not only allows you to reduce your monthly energy costs, sustainable homes are healthier and more comfortable for residents than ordinary homes. Sustainable construction saves resources, making it better for the environment. Plus, your home retains its value longer. And if you build energy-neutral now, you anticipate future obligations. See also the brochure Sustainable new construction below.
GPR is a tool that helps you understand how sustainable design choices are. The municipality uses a GPR ambition of at least an 8 on each of the five themes of energy, environment, health, user quality and future value. Since it is not always possible to score an 8 on both the environment and energy themes, this ambition is also met if an 8 is scored on the combined Energy & Environment theme (also known as DPG). The municipality would greatly appreciate it if you choose to use GPR Gebouw as your method.
The municipality makes this available free of charge. You can request an access code by sending an e-mail to gemeente@geldrop-mierlo.nl for the attention of the Vergunningen cluster with GPR access code in the subject line. Mention in the e-mail the name of the client, the name of the architect, the type of house and the contact details of the person who will use the program.
In addition, the building code applies. Here are rules about insulation, energy performance and environmental performance. More information about the building code can be found here: laws and regulations
Also, since July 1, 2018, homes licensed after this date must be natural gas-free. This is regulated by the Energy Transition Progress Act (Wet Voortgang Energietransitie). On milieucentraal you can find information about gas-free living: living without natural gas
Preserving existing home
On average, over 40 percent of our energy bill consists of heating costs. Hot water is about 10 percent and all appliances and lights in the home about 30 percent.
heating
So it's a good idea to look into reducing your heating costs. A good first step is to see if your home is adequately insulated. In fact, 3 out of 4 homes in the Netherlands are not yet properly insulated. By improving the insulation, you can often already save a lot of energy. This saves on your energy bill, but a better insulated house also provides more comfort. You can find more information on milieucentraal: insulating and saving.
Grant
There is currently an insulation subsidy for homeowners.
A condition of this grant is that you take at least two insulation measures. Find more information about the grant here: grant and funding guide
But even with a small investment, you can make gains. For example, by:
- seal seams and cracks;
- insulate central heating pipes in unheated rooms;
- foil behind your radiators.
Being smart about your heating can also save a lot!
Hot water
If you want to use less hot water, you can use a water-saving shower head. You can also take shorter showers. On average, we spend 9 minutes in the hot shower.
Electricity
LED bulbs consume much less energy than incandescent or halogen bulbs. So it pays to replace your incandescent or hallogen bulbs even if they still work.
Furthermore, old appliances also consume a lot of energy. So replace these in time.
Purchasing solar panels will also reduce your electricity consumption. You can purchase solar panels through the municipality.
Loan
If you want to make your home more sustainable, you can take advantage of our sustainability incentive loan. More information here
There is also a subsidy scheme for Home Owners Associations (VvE). This can be found here
There is also a national energy savings loan that may be of interest to you. Look for more information
Gasless
If you want to make your existing home gas-free, you can find more information here
If you want to install heat pump you still get subsidy until 2021.
Useful links:
SAVE FAST
save energy rental property
save energy owner-occupied house
Renewable generation
Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal energy cause no air pollution and few CO2 emissions. Another advantage is that this energy never runs out. This is in contrast to coal, oil and gas.
The Regional Energy Strategy (RES) (link to RES page) looks at where in the region windmills and solar fields can be placed. This means that in the future also in Geldrop-Mierlo large-scale sustainable energy can be generated. The RES will then be translated into the local policy of the municipality.
But even now we can generate renewable energy. This can be done by installing solar panels or solar water heaters on roofs. There are several options for this:
- Do you have a (private) home? If you have the option to install solar panels on your own roof you can still net up until 2023 . You can purchase panels through the municipality.
- If you are unable or unwilling to install solar panels on your own roof, then a post-co-box project may be of interest to you. If you are interested in this, delocal energy cooperative may be of interest.
- Do you belong to an association of owners (VvE)? Then look here
- Do you have a commercial property? Then look here
- If you would like to make your roof available for a post-coder box project please contact our local energy cooperative.