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Article 16 of 16 · Buildings and real estateImproving the energy performance of a building: a guide for businesses
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The energy performance of a building indicates how efficiently that building uses energy. In the Netherlands it is expressed in the energy label, calculated as primary fossil energy use in kilowatt-hours per square metre per year under the NTA 8800 calculation method. You improve it along three tracks: a better building envelope, more efficient installations and renewable generation on the building itself.
- Clear definition
- Data-driven assessment
- Risks and opportunities visible
- Practical next steps
Improving the energy performance of a building: scattered information versus Energy Intelligence
Anyone who owns or rents a building in the Netherlands increasingly faces its performance: a valid energy label is mandatory at sale, rental and completion, banks and tenants ask about it, and offices face a legal minimum. At the same time, you see that performance on the energy bill every month. A dated building with single glazing and an old boiler easily uses several times more than a well insulated building with a heat pump. This article explains what is actually measured and which levers improve the outcome.
- The energy label is based on the calculated fossil energy use per square metre under NTA 8800, not on your actual consumption; the two can differ considerably.
- The main improvement levers are insulation, better glazing and airtightness (building envelope), an efficient heat generator such as a heat pump, LED lighting and ventilation with heat recovery (installations), and solar panels (renewables).
- Dutch office buildings of 100 square metres or more must currently have at least energy label C; plan label steps around natural moments such as renovation or replacement of installations.
Insight
Traditional approach
Information is scattered across portals, documents, invoices or separate spreadsheets.
Modern approach
Data, context and interpretation are brought together into a clear decision picture.
Decision-making
Traditional approach
Choices are made based on averages, assumptions or occasional analyses.
Modern approach
Scenarios, KPIs and current measurement data make the trade-off more concrete and repeatable.
Follow-up
Traditional approach
Actions often stay non-committal or disappear into separate reports.
Modern approach
Follow-up actions, monitoring and reporting are linked to the same energy data.
What does the energy performance actually say?
The energy label expresses the energy performance as a calculated figure: the primary fossil energy use in kilowatt-hours per square metre per year. A qualified energy assessor determines it under the NTA 8800 calculation method, based on the building's characteristics: insulation, glazing, installations, lighting and on-site generation. The lower the figure, the better the letter, from G up to the A labels. The label is valid for ten years and mandatory at sale, rental and completion. Important to realise: the label describes the building under standardised use, not your actual consumption. The meter readings tell the real story and often deviate from it. Both matter: the label for building quality and legal obligations, the actual consumption for your costs.
- Calculated as primary fossil energy use in kilowatt-hours per square metre per year.
- Drawn up by a qualified energy assessor under the NTA 8800 calculation method.
- Valid for ten years and mandatory at sale, rental and completion.
- The label describes standardised use; your actual consumption is on the energy bill.
Which levers improve the energy performance?
Improvement runs along three tracks. First the building envelope: insulating the roof, facade and floor, better glazing such as HR++ or triple glazing, and sealing gaps. A good envelope permanently reduces the heat demand and makes every next step more effective. Then the installations: an efficient heat generator such as a heat pump, LED lighting, ventilation with heat recovery and properly commissioned controls. That commissioning is often forgotten, while badly adjusted installations quietly waste a lot of energy. Finally, renewable generation on the building itself, usually solar panels: they reduce the fossil energy use that the label measures. The order is no coincidence. Insulate first and you can manage with a smaller heat pump, then use the roof for generation.
- Building envelope: insulation of roof, facade and floor, better glazing and airtightness.
- Installations: heat pump, LED lighting, ventilation with heat recovery and proper commissioning.
- Renewables: solar panels on your own roof reduce the fossil use the label measures.
- Order matters: first the envelope, then the installations, then the generation.
How do you prioritise, and where are the limits?
Start with the obligations and the natural moments. Dutch office buildings of 100 square metres or more must currently have at least energy label C; if your building does not comply, that is the first priority. Plan larger interventions for moments when you are working on the building anyway: a roof renovation is the moment for roof insulation, a boiler due for replacement the moment for a heat pump. Also keep the performance gap in mind: a label jump on paper does not guarantee lower consumption if installations are badly adjusted or the use of the building changes. Track actual consumption after every measure. Finally, know the limits: listed monuments are exempt from the label C obligation, and not every building structurally suits every measure.
- Offices of 100 square metres or more must have at least label C; monuments are exempt.
- Link label steps to natural moments such as renovation or replacement of installations.
- Check actual consumption after every measure; a label jump is a calculation, not a guarantee.
- Have an energy assessor calculate which measures deliver the biggest label step for your building.
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