Making your home more sustainable: what can you do?
Solar panels are, of course, a sustainable investment. They help you save on your energy bill and generate your own clean electricity. But what if solar panels aren’t an option for you—or if you simply want to take things a step further? On this page, we’ll discuss the following options:
Insulating your home
Small changes
Making your home more sustainable starts with insulation. There are a few simple things you can do yourself. For example, cover your heating pipes with foam sleeves. Heating pipes run through your house and lose a lot of heat, causing your boiler to work harder. You can also stick radiator foil behind your radiators to prevent some of the heat from escaping directly through the walls or windows. While you’re at it, walk through your home and check for drafts. Tackle those spots with sealant or draft strips.
Insulating the roof, floor, and walls
Some measures require more time and money but offer major savings in the long run. You can hire an expert to insulate your roof, floor, or walls. Wall insulation offers the highest return. Do you have cavity walls? That’s the space between the exterior and interior wall, which can be filled with insulating material. If you don’t have cavity walls, you can still insulate your home through exterior or interior wall insulation.
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With exterior wall insulation, the insulation material is applied directly to the outer wall and finished with brick or stone strips.
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With interior wall insulation, the insulation is placed inside and finished with a secondary wall.
Replacing your lights
Replacing incandescent bulbs can quickly lead to big energy savings. Where to start? Check your home for old-fashioned incandescent or fluorescent lights. You’ll recognize them by how hot they get—usually too hot to touch. Replace these bulbs with energy-saving bulbs or LED lights. Both use about 80% less energy than traditional bulbs and last much longer. LED bulbs have the longest lifespan, making them the most sustainable choice.
Heating your home with a heat pump
The heat pump is a sustainable alternative to the gas boiler. The concept is simple: you use outdoor heat to warm your home indoors. The heat is extracted from the air, ground, or groundwater. This significantly reduces your gas usage—which is better for both the environment and your wallet.
There are several types of heat pumps:
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All-electric heat pumps can fully replace your gas boiler and also heat your water. If you cook electrically, you can go completely gas-free with this setup.
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Hybrid heat pumps work alongside your gas boiler. The heat pump does most of the work, while the boiler kicks in on colder days.
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Ventilation heat pumps are small systems suitable for homes with mechanical ventilation. They reuse the warm air from your ventilation system to heat your home.
If you're considering a heat pump, make sure your home is well-insulated. If not, the heat pump will have to work too hard, which lowers its efficiency.
Combining a heat pump with solar panels is a great way to maximize savings and reduce your carbon footprint. The pump can be powered by the electricity your solar panels generate. Some heat pumps can be directly controlled by the Sunny Home Manager. If that’s not possible, you can use the ‘Smart Grid ready’ option instead.
If you're planning to install both solar panels and a heat pump, make sure your system is future-proof and ready to work with smart devices and an energy manager.
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Heating water with a solar water heater
A solar water heater is an environmentally friendly alternative to using natural gas. It uses sunlight to heat water, allowing you to save nearly half of the energy used for hot water. A solar collector on your roof captures the sunlight and heats the water. Once it's hot enough, the water is pumped into a boiler. Just like with solar panels, it’s important that your roof gets enough sun for this to be a good investment.
Financing options for making your home more sustainable
Every year, the government sets aside a substantial budget to help homeowners improve their home’s energy efficiency.
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If you’re part of a Homeowners Association (VvE), you may qualify for the Energy-saving subsidy for homeowners (SEEH).
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If not, you can apply for the Investment subsidy for sustainable energy and energy saving (ISDE). One key condition is that the house must be your primary residence.
Before you make any purchases, be sure to check whether your insulation measure is listed in the official subsidy list—that way, you’ll know if it qualifies. Can’t get a subsidy? You may still be eligible for a low-interest loan, such as the Energy-saving loan, the Sustainability loan, or a Green loan. Use the Energy Subsidy Checker to find out what subsidies or loans might be available for your situation.
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