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Energy Label C: Why should you invest?

Energy Label C: Why should you invest?

As of January 1, 2023, it is mandatory in the Netherlands for office buildings and other commercial real estates larger than 100 m2 to have an Energy Label of C or higher. This means that every office building in the Netherlands may have no more than 225 kWh of primary fossil energy use per m2 per year.

Energy Label C: Why should you invest?

As of January 1, 2023, it is mandatory in the Netherlands for office buildings and other commercial real estates larger than 100 m2 to have an Energy Label of C or higher. This means that every office building in the Netherlands may have no more than 225 kWh of primary fossil energy use per m2 per year. As of now, only 55% of the office buildings in the Netherlands comply with the legislation. 10% have a Label of D or lower and 35% don't have an Energy Label at all. There’s a lot of work to be done for a large chunk of all office buildings in the Netherlands.

Prevent high risks with low costs

Not meeting the energy Label C requirement can have far-reaching consequences. The local municipalities are responsible for controlling and enforcing the law and are authorized to use far-reaching means to force building owners to comply. For example, the municipality may impose a penalty payment that can run into thousands of euros until you take action. They are even authorized to forcibly close your office building to enforce measures. So the consequences can be far-reaching if you don’t take action.

On the other hand, the costs of sustainable measures are relatively low and can result in significant energy savings. They also have a relatively quick return on investment, usually being recouped within 5 years or faster. These low costs and high returns make them very attractive to investors. An additional advantage is that your office building becomes more attractive to tenants due to the relatively low energy costs, reducing the risk of vacancy. The energy label is also becoming an important factor in buying and selling real estate, which means it can influence the valuation of your property. 

In short, plenty of reasons to start investing. Rhino offers a helping hand in making the right investments through its smart metering platform. With a combination of its own hardware and software, it helps building owners gain insight into the energy consumption of their buildings and helps them pinpoint where most energy waste goes and where investments are most effective. Interested in how Rhino solves problems for you? Check out one of our case studies.

Make the right investment

Are you determent to make your building more sustainable but need help figuring out where to start? We’ve listed some effective investments that can help you get started.

  • Replace your HR boiler and invest in a heat pump. This way, you lose dependency on the use of gas for heating your building and reduce your emissions significantly.
  • Cavity wall insulation not only reduces your energy costs but also prevents moisture problems within your building. 
  • Replace your windows with insulating glass. This not only saves energy costs but also increases the comfort of the building’s users.
  • Invest in green alternatives such as solar panels to save on energy costs and make your building less dependent on fossil fuels.
  • Invest in improved HVAC systems and save on energy costs while improving the living environment in your building.

Check out useful subsidies

To accelerate the sustainability of Dutch office buildings, the government has set up several subsidy schemes to make it even more financially attractive to make sustainable investments. We have listed some of them and added links so you can delve deeper to see if these subsidies also apply to you.

  • Investment subsidy for sustainable energy and energy saving for business users (ISDE) helps to partly finance heat pumps and solar panels.
  • Energy Investment Allowance for entrepreneurs (EIA) allows you to deduct the costs of sustainable measures from the profit so that you pay less tax.
  • Environmental Investment Allowance (MIA) & Random Depreciation for Environmental Investments (VAMIL). The MIA has a similar effect as the EIA. VAMIL allows you to write off up to 75% of your investment at will, which helps reduce your taxable profit and saves on taxes.
  • Stimulation of Sustainable Energy Production and Climate Transition (SDE++) allows you to apply for subsidies for large-scale investments in sustainable energy.

Rhino helps you take the first step towards energy label C and get a clear insight into your energy consumption. Our smart metering platform gives you the ability to monitor the energy usage of your entire portfolio down to every individual submeter. Our dashboard provides you with user-friendly visuals to help you get clear insights into where your energy consumption is going. This way you can target the areas with the heaviest energy waste and make the right investments to upgrade your building’s sustainability. Contact us at sales@rhino.energy and find out what we can do for you.

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