Ing and rabobank are making an additional 200 million euros aviaxable to the national warmth fund, which provides loans to households for sustainable investments. Yet, the fund isn’t experientcing a rush. Is Borrowing Really Attractive for a Household Struggling with Energy Bills?
With the Hundreds of Millions of Euros, The Warmth Fund Expects to Help 12,500 Households. They can use the money to, for example, Improve insulation or buy solar panels or a heat pump. HomeWers’ Associations (VVEs) Can also Apply for money to Become More Sustainable. The Government Agency also Wants To Stop the Rising Poverty Due to High Energy Costs with the Loans. More than 500,000 Dutch Households had Trouble Paying Their Energy Bills Last Year.
“We are aiming for long-term improvements to the energy bill with our loans,” Says Katinka Huijberts, Board Member of the National Warmth Fund. “With better insulated Walls and Windows, The House Stays Warm Or Cold Longer. You see Permanently reflected in Lower Energy Costs.”
Last year, The Dutch Central Bank (DNB) Conducted a Survey in which 7 percent of respondents Indicated that they would make their homes more Sustainable with BorroPed Money. Most use Savings. A Large Number of HomeWers Simply Do Not Know the Borrowing Options at The Warmth Fund, DNB Concluded.
While one Pot Receives Extra Funding and Is Difficult to Empty, The Other Energy Pot Was Used Up In No Time. The Temporary Emergency Fund Energy Ran Through Its Budget Within A Few Days in April. That fund provid money to households with a narrower purse; A Gift With Few Conditions.
Borrowing from the National Warmth Fund Can Be Done Under Better Conditions than From A Bank, But Usualy Still Costs Money. On Average, The Fund Charges 3 to 4 percent interest on the Borred Amount for Sustainable Investments. “If the full annual income of a household is less than 60,000 euros, we can also offer a loan without interest,” Says Huijberts. “And households with Little Borrowing Space Due to High Monthly Costs Do Not Have To Repay for the First Five Years.”
Insulating A Home Pays Off In The Long Term
Despite these good conditions, borrowing remains a major decision, while insulating a home does pay off in the long term. Milieu Centraal Calculated that Gas Consumption in An Average, Well-insulated Corner House Can Be Halved. With the current gas price, that saves about 1,600 euros on the annual bill.
That example is for a home where the floor, walls, windows and roof are fully insulated. That is an investment or about 10,000 euros and can be more, depding on the installer you hire. Subsidies can be applied for part of the insulation costs.
Accordance to DNB, The Long Payback Period is the Main Reason Why People Are Not Yet Making Their Homes More Sustainable. They do not know when they will see their savings back, let alone Borretwed Money. For Example, Solar Panels Pay For Themselves Less Quickly Due to Higher Return Costs.
MoreOover, Making Something Sustainable Almost Always Involves A Considerable Amount of Money. There are a lot of things to take into account if you don’t have much to spend.
Association Eigen Huis Wants A More Accessible System
The Association Eigen Huis (VEH) Therefore Advocates An Alternative, More Accessible System So That More Households Can Become More Sustainable Without Borrowing. Accordance to them, A Third Party Can Better Make a Home More Sustainable by Paying for Equipment and Any Renovations.
The Advantage of this ‘Building-Related Finance’ is that the homeowner does not have to borrow anything. “A Periodic Payment Obligation for the Homeowner Remains in this concept, but the loan is not in his name,” Says a Veh Spokesperson. This means no registration with the agency credit registration (BKR) and you do not have to repay a loan when you move. Any Obligations are then for the new resident. “IT is comparable to a monthly service contribution.”
Accordance to veh, this idea is not yet legal feasible. Since 2022, Research Has Been Underway at Various MINISTRIES INTO WHETER THE Legal Barriers Can Be Removed. That could open the way for the system that veh proposes. The Association is not Against the Warmth Fund, But States That Less Risky Alternatives Are Needed For Vulnerable Households So That They Do Not Have To Borrow To Become More Sustainable.
The National Warmth Fund is partly fined by the government and partly by Dutch and European Banks. In The First Half of 2025, The National Warmth Fund Provided 223 Million Euros in Loans to Fourteen Thousand Households.