If you’re comparing two similar Dutch homes and one has a lower energy label, you might assume the price difference is minor. It usually isn’t. The Dutch estate agents’ association NVM analysed more than 10,000 recent property sales and found that energy-efficient homes are not only more expensive, they also sell faster and attract more competing bids. Here’s what the numbers show, and how to use them when you’re house-hunting.
Short answer
A better energy label can add tens of thousands of euros to a Dutch property’s asking price. Market analysis of over 10,000 recent sales found that homes with label C sell for around 12% more than comparable label G homes, roughly €50,000 on an average property, and that gap has been widening. The exact premium depends on the size of the label jump and on where in the Netherlands the property is located. For expats, this matters both for what you pay upfront and for how a property’s energy label can affect your mortgage options.
What do Dutch energy labels mean, and why do buyers care?
A Dutch energy label (energielabel) is a standardised rating, from A to G, that shows how energy efficient a property is compared with similar homes. Labels A to C are generally considered energy efficient; D to G are not.
Buyers have started weighing potential energy costs more heavily when deciding what to bid, a shift that tracks with the sharp rise in European energy prices in recent years. That shows up directly in the sales data: energy-efficient “green” homes have held up better in sales volume than less efficient ones during market slowdowns.
How much more does an energy-efficient home actually sell for?
On average, a home with label C sells for about 12% more than an identical home with label G, a gap of roughly €50,000 on a typically priced property. That’s up from around 8% the year before, so the premium is growing, not shrinking.
Smaller jumps tell a similar story. Moving from label E to label B added about 10% to a property’s value in the most recent quarter analysed. A jump from label A to label C, by contrast, stays comparatively flat at around 5.5%, the efficiency difference between A and C is smaller, so the price gap is too.
| Energy label comparison | Average price premium |
| Label C vs. label G | ~12% (about €50,000 on an average home) |
| Label E vs. label B | ~10% |
| Label A vs. label C | ~5.5% |
Note: the label C vs. label G premium was around 8% a year earlier. The gap has been widening.
A real-world example
NVM’s analysis includes two nearly identical 1930s homes on the same street in Amersfoort: one with label E, the other with label A after floor, wall and roof insulation, solar panels and a hybrid heat pump. The renovated, label A home was valued about €75,000 higher, 14.3% more than the label E version.
Why the price gap is growing and it’s not only about energy bills
Rising energy costs are only part of the story. Estate agents report that energy-inefficient homes are in less demand even when they’re already priced lower, because renovating them has also become more expensive: contractors are harder to book, and building materials cost more than they used to. In other words, it’s not just what you’d pay to heat a low-label home. It’s what you’d pay to upgrade it, too.
Which regions show the biggest energy-label price gap?
The value gap between energy labels isn’t the same across the Netherlands. it tends to be largest where housing demand is lower. In Enschede, in the east of the country, moving from label G to label C adds around 15% in value. In Utrecht, where demand for housing is much higher, the same jump adds closer to 10%.
The pattern makes sense: in high-demand cities, buyers compete hard for a property regardless of its label, which narrows the price gap. In areas with more supply relative to demand, energy efficiency becomes a bigger differentiator between otherwise similar homes.
How to check a property’s real energy costs before you make an offer
Start with the owner’s disclosure questionnaire (eigenaarsverklaring), which sellers typically provide through the selling agent and which usually lists the property’s current monthly energy bill. That figure alone can be misleading, though, since it reflects the seller’s existing energy contract rather than what you’d actually pay.
Instead, check how much energy the household actually consumed over the past year, in kWh and m³ of gas, and multiply that by current energy prices. That gives you a realistic estimate of your own future costs, rather than a number shaped by someone else’s contract.
Key takeaways
- A label C home sells for roughly 12% (about €50,000) more than an identical label G home, and that gap has been widening year over year.
- Bigger label jumps add more value than smaller ones: E to B added ~10%, while A to C stays comparatively flat at ~5.5%.
- The gap is largest in lower-demand regions like Enschede (+15% for a G-to-C jump) and smaller in high-demand cities like Utrecht (+10%).
- Rising renovation costs, not just energy bills, are pushing low-label homes further out of favour.
- Before bidding, check a property’s actual annual energy consumption, not just the seller’s current monthly bill.
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