An energy-efficient home: the best way to save money
Sustainable construction is certainly worthwhile, but what exactly are the benefits of making your home energy-efficient, and how do you get started? Find out now.
The benefits of sustainable construction
- Look after the environment
If you opt for a heat pump, groundwater recovery system or solar panels, you can make more efficient use of water, energy and raw materials. - Make things easier on your wallet
Energy-efficiency is good for your wallet. If you use less energy or generate your own, your energy bills are likely to be a lot lower. - Take your home to the next level
Environmentally friendly improvements increase your home’s market value, and it’s increasingly common for energy-efficiency to be a compulsory requirement when building a home. This means homes that already meet the requirements without further renovation work are valuable. - Don’t forget about financial support
The Flemish and Belgian Federal governments encourage efforts in this area with various grants and benefits to help you with your renovation. If you’re eligible, you can also apply to KBC Brussels for an energy loan or a renovation loan.
Begin your energy-efficient renovation by checking your EPC
There are various ways to improve your home’s energy-efficiency. Some homeowners might opt for an environmentally friendly heating solution, while others prefer to install the right insulation. Your home's EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) can provide further information on this as well as your home’s energy rating.
Your EPC also includes an overview of the different ways your home is losing energy (e.g., through the walls, windows, frames, floors, doors, or your heating system), as well an expert's advice on how to save energy. In addition, you’ll also find the insulation value of the materials in your home as recorded by the expert.
If you’re looking for your property’s EPC or other certificates, you can easily request them online in KBC Brussels Mobile.
Step 1: Insulate your roof
Your home loses most of its heat and energy through the roof, which means roof insulation is a must for any sustainable home. By properly insulating your roof, you can save 25-30% on your energy bills every month.
- Roof insulation ensures that your roof is always weathertight
- It keeps the temperature of your rooms under control not only in winter, but also in summer
- It provides acoustic insulation, dampening annoying outside noises and making it feel quieter inside
Did you know you can finance your roof insulation with an energy loan? > Learn more about the energy loan
Step 2: Insulate your exterior walls
Your home can lose as much as 20% of its heat through the exterior walls, which is why the next step we recommend is getting them properly insulated. There are three ways to do this: you can insulate the exterior wall, insulate the interior wall, or fill the cavity of the wall with insulation.
- Cavity wall insulation
The cavity is the open space between the interior and exterior wall. By filling this cavity with insulation, you can quickly make your home more energy efficient. Unfortunately, older homes often do not have a cavity, and not every cavity is suitable for filling. If that’s the case for your home, you can only insulate the walls along the interior or exterior surface. - Exterior wall insulation
Older houses often have solid walls, which makes insulating them from the outside the best option, even if it’s usually also the most expensive approach. - Interior wall insulation
Insulating the interior walls is only attempted when it isn’t technically possible to insulate the cavity or exterior walls, as this is a delicate process that often increases the risk of condensation.
Did you know you can finance your wall insulation with an energy loan? > Learn more about the energy loan
Step 3: Install double-glazing or high-efficiency glass
15% of your home’s heat is lost through the windows, which means that installing double glazing or high-efficiency glass can considerably benefit your sustainable building project. In fact, double glazing provides double or triple the insulation of single glazing, while high-efficiency glass is four to five times more effective. In addition, your windows will suffer less from condensation.
Did you know you can finance your high-efficiency windows with an energy loan? > Learn more about the energy loan
Step 4: Produce your own energy
If you’ve already taken steps to improve your home’s insulation and limit the amount of heat and energy lost, you can also consider ways to generate your own energy.
Solar panels allow you to convert solar energy into free electricity, shrinking your energy bill. This investment often pays for itself within five to seven years, and any unused energy can be reinjected into the grid in exchange for a small feed-in tariff for each kWh you supply.
If you haven’t done so already, make sure you’ve looked into insulating your roof before having solar panels installed. Putting solar panels on a roof without insulation is like turning the heating on with the windows open.
Another option is a heat pump. This collects heat from a natural heat source such as the air outside, the ground or groundwater. That heat is then reduced to a suitable temperature for indoor use. The heat pump itself runs on electricity, which can either be drawn from the grid or produced yourself with solar panels.
Did you know you can finance your solar panels with an energy loan? > Learn more about the energy loan
Step 5: Store your energy
If you rely on solar panels to power your home, you’ll certainly look forward to sunny weather. However, given that the average family has a self-consumption rate of 30%, you may run out of energy once the sun disappears.
You can dramatically increase your self-consumption with a home battery, which stores the energy you generate during the day so you can use it in the evening and at night. This allows you to increase your self-consumption rate in summer to as much as 70%.
A smart battery takes things a step further, cleverly ensuring that the electricity you’ve generated is stored or sold to your energy supplier when the energy price is highest, and making sure you draw energy from the grid when the price is low. You will need to sign a dynamic energy contract with your energy supplier to do this, however.
Did you know you can finance your home battery with an energy loan? > Apply for an energy loan to cover your solar panels or home battery
Instalment loan details
Legal information
Loan type: Instalment loan. Lender: KBC Bank NV – Havenlaan 2 – 1080 Brussels – VAT BE 0462.920.226 – RLP Brussels Subject to your loan application being approved by KBC Bank NV and mutual agreement.