Temporary or final energy label: what exactly does it say?

The energy label shows how energy-efficient a house is. It also tells you which energy-saving options are available and contains more information about the home. Every home in the Netherlands received a provisional energy label from the government in 2015, but is it still correct? And what is the difference between a temporary and a final energy label? You can read it here.

Temporary energy label

In early 2015, the government issued a temporary energy label for every Dutch home. It was an estimate based on data from the Land Registry, such as the type of house, size, and year of construction. You still have a temporary energy label if a final energy label still needs to be registered for your home. Are you going to sell your house? Then you are obliged to apply for a final energy label.

The higher the label, the lower your monthly costs. A higher final energy label contributes to the home value and selling price.

Final energy label

According to European legislation, a buyer must be able to see which energy label a house has, and the seller must provide the final energy label at the time of transfer. A provisional energy label is then no longer sufficient.

The final energy label shows a house's energy efficiency and clarifies which energy-saving measures you can take. The label runs from A to G, with A being the most energy-efficient and G the least energy-efficient. It also lists the characteristics of the house: type of house, insulation, heating, and glazing.

Once issued, the energy label is valid for ten years. You can apply for a new energy label if you have made your house more energy efficient. A higher energy label has several positive effects. The higher the label, the lower your monthly expenses. Also, a higher final label contributes to the home value and selling price.

Obligatory energy label for sale

On Funda, houses are automatically shown with the temporary energy label, as determined by the government. The house may have a higher energy label because they have started insulating or has installed solar panels. In that case, the provisional energy label is outdated, and a final label is better. Are you going to sell? Then you are obliged to provide a final energy label. If not, you risk a fine of €405 euros.

When applying for a final label, sellers must answer ten questions about the type of house, insulation of roof, floor and facade, heating system, type of glass, ventilation system, and solar panels. They have to upload supporting documents through the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) platform. Then a remote expert checks the data entered and awards the final energy label, provided there are no doubts. You can imagine that this is not always done carefully.