Energylabel | ||||
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What is the energy label? The energy label shows the energy efficiency of housing. It covers such things as floor insulation, the walls, windows and the roof. It also indicates the energy efficiency of systems for heating, hot water and ventilation. The sum total of these findings determines the applicable energy label. The energy label also provides a general description of the measures required to make the dwelling more energy efficient. The ultimate aim of these measures is to lower energy costs and increase comfort. The energy label resembles the energy label for cars, refrigerators and other appliances. Using categories (designated A to G) and colors (green to red), it indicates how energy efficient your home is. Energy label A (dark green) is economical; energy label G (red) is not economical. Effective January 1, Idealis will also introduce the energy label. Here you can find outwhich label your accommodation has, how Idealis communicates with current and new tenants about this, what Idealis is doing to improve the labels and what you can do personally to save energy. Why an energy label? With the energy label, the government wants to encourage people to take energy-efficient measures for their homes. The less energy used, the less dependent the Netherlands will be on buying energy abroad. Moreover, the Netherlands is obliged to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This was agreed as part of the Kyoto Protocol. The energy label is one measure for achieving this. All European countries will introduce the energy label in the near future. How has Idealis arranged this? The energy label has been compulsory in the Netherlands since January 2008. However, housing associations have received an exemption until January 1, 2009, provided that all housing has energy labels by that date. This also applies to Idealis. Labels of the Idealis complexes Below you will find the labeling per complex. Note: this is an average. There could be differences in complexes at corridor levels or at room/apartment levels. For example, if a corridor is on the first floor or on the top floor, it would receive a more negative assessment. This is because these corridors are not situated next to heated rooms. The same could apply to an apartment that is located next to the outer wall. 
How does communication about the labels take place? New tenants When signing their tenancy agreements, all new tenants should receive an energy performance certificate. You can find an example of this certificate in the information booklet from the Department of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (pages 3 and 4). In connection with the high degree of turnover and the accompanying paperwork, Idealis has decided to change this procedure. A new tenant can send an e-mail to woondiensten@idealis.nl and request a copy of the certificate. You will then receive a print version (PDF) of the certificate. Housing seekers From now on, the rooms/apartments offered on our website will carry individual energy labels. In this way, the label could be a factor in deciding whether you want to choose a particular room. Current tenants If you are already an Idealis tenant, you can find additional information about the label on our website. As with new tenants, you may request a copy of the certificate via e-mail. What is Idealis doing to improve energy labels? On the reverse side of the certificate you will see a list of the standard measures that could be taken to improve the label. These are measures that only pertain to a specific component - not to additional costs, building types and the like. That does not mean that Idealis intends to implement all these measures. With its scheduled maintenance, Idealis will make every effort to implement improvements. However, this must fit within our financial means. In addition, the future lifespan and current status of our complexes also play a role in this. If the lifespan of a complex is relatively short, or if investments have been made recently in a complex, it would not be cost-effective to invest more money in it. The lifespan of the complexes is adopted in our strategic housing stock management. Parenthetically, all complexes built by Idealis met the then established requirements. Over the years, many complexes acquired double glazing and many high-efficiency boilers were installed. We are currently replacing the electricity systems in our complexes. In developing this project, we also made a critical appraisal of energy consumption. For example, we install very energy efficient bulbs. Where there are too many lights, we remove them and install a switch that turns off automatically after a specific time, so that the lights in the hallways are not on unnecessarily. What can you do as tenant? Besides durable building management, tenant behavior also plays a large part when it comes to energy savings. If Idealis invests in expensive HE boilers and the tenants heat their rooms with the windows open, there is very little savings. If you have a second-hand refrigerator in your room or corridor that guzzles a lot of energy, this does not contribute to a reduction in energy use. In 2009, Idealis plans to launch a campaign to make its tenants better aware of the measures they could take. This is particularly challenging for tenants of large student complexes because the service charges are collectively apportioned. The behavior of your neighbor could nullify your own efforts. At our new building complexes, we endeavor to provide all rooms and apartments with their own meters and settle the costs individually. Saving money individually is of course a major motivation to watch your own behavior! Several times in the past, we studied the possibilities of having individual meters per corridor / VHE. With respect to gas, water and electricity, this is very difficult, both technically and financially. In addition, from an administrative standpoint, it would result in considerable deadweight for our organization. | ||||