A house makeover paid for by your energy bill

Résumé 0

In the Netherlands, 27 social housing associations (HLM’s) and a group of builders are refurbishing 111,000 houses to Net Zero Energy levels. Net Zero Energy means that the house annually produces the same amount of energy that is used for heating, hot water, lights and electric appliances. Remarkably, the refurbishments take only one week ; the builder provides a 40-year guarantee on the energy performance and the refurbishments are done without government subsidies. The best part is : the people living in these houses are very happy with their refurbished new homes. In 2015, these solutions are also brought to the private market. The deal is the same : A Net Zero Energy makeover, with no additional cost for the homeowner. It sounds too good to be true. How was this achieved and could this be done in France ?