Price difference between a house with a low or high energy label is almost half a ton

The differences in selling prices between houses with low and high energy labels are increasing. Due to the sharp rise in energy costs, more sustainable houses have a clear advantage, says the real estate association NVM, which had the price differences examined.

A house with energy label C now generates 11.6 percent more on average than a comparable house with label G. At the current average house price, this leads to a difference of almost 50,000 euros. The labels range from A++++ (energy-neutral or energy-yielding) to G (very high energy consumption)

See here how much higher the average retail price is with a higher energy label:

A tour of NOS brokers in early October showed that homebuyers are paying more attention to energy labels than they used to.

The NVM figures now also show that the price difference between a lower and a higher energy label is increasing. A year ago, for example, the difference between a G and a C label was about 8 percent. Now it is 11.6 percent.

Check out how the difference between the labels has grown recently:

Various investments can be made to increase a home’s energy label. As an example, the NVM cites two identical terraced houses from the pre-war period, one of which has been renovated and the other has not.

The renovated house received floor, roof and cavity wall insulation, solar panels and a hybrid heat pump. So it has the label A. The unrenovated house has the label E and is worth around 538,000 euros according to the NVM. The renovated one is worth almost 615,000 euros, a difference of more than 14 percent.

worth investing in?

According to the NVM, whether a seller is investing in sustainability with a higher selling price is difficult to say and will differ from case to case. “Assuming you are skilled in the arts yourself, then you have a completely different cost position than if you have to outsource everything,” says an NVM spokesman.

“But if a house does poorly on the energy label and would otherwise do very well in sales, a more sustainable design can make a house many times more attractive.”

Narrow range: less difference

The NVM also looked at price differences per region. This shows that in a region where shoppers have more choice, the differences between labels are greater. In Utrecht, for example, a label jump from G to C brings a 10 percent increase in value. In Enschede, where the pressure on the housing market is less, the same label jump leads to a 15 percent increase in value.

In the third quarter of this year, house prices fell by 5.8 percent compared to the previous quarter. Prices for more sustainable homes fell less quickly, sales declined less, and they also sold faster.

Source: NOS