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17-10-2022
How important do searchers think an energy label is?
As the effects of the energy crisis become increasingly apparent, people want to keep energy bills low. How important do searchers think the energy label is and is it worth it for sellers to request a new label? Funda researched this.
What has been studied?
On two occasions this year, Funda investigated how important funda visitors consider the energy label of a home. They saw that this number has increased rapidly: in March 2022, 53% indicated that they find an energy label important, in September this had already risen to 67%.
‘An energy label is only slightly less important if someone falls for a 1930s home’
More than two thirds of the seekers with a purchase intention say they find the energy label more important since the rise in energy prices. The group that considers the energy label much more important as a result, has even doubled in six months. Also, the vast majority of buyers on the market (86%) believe that a home with a better energy label is worth more than a home with a worse energy label.
Energy label more likely to be unfavourable
But then, according to searchers, what is a better or worse energy label? In this, we see a shift. In March, 23% of searchers thought a house from energy label E onwards was inefficient. In September, that number dropped and the number of people finding energy label B, C or D the lower limit increased by 11%. From this we can conclude that an energy label is increasingly more likely to be labelled as unfavourable.
Poor label scares off
An unfavourable label also deters more and more, our research shows. In March, 18% of searchers still refrained from buying. This group has now risen to 31%. Other buyers say they will adjust their offer on an unfavourable energy label (32%) or at least make a good calculation of the additional costs that higher heating costs or a sustainability upgrade would entail (35%). Only 2% take no action. When someone falls for the charm of a 1930s house, an energy label becomes slightly less important.
To invest in better label or not?
Returning to her question, to what extent do searchers take the energy label into account? Our answer to that is that we see that by far the largest group (66%) pay attention to the energy label when considering the features of a property.
On average, properties with energy label A are found 22% more often than those with energy label G. But this does not (yet) result in more contact requests: there, properties with label D and E score best. But: six months earlier this was still label G, so here too we see a change.
We can therefore conclude that demand is changing rapidly and that applying for a new energy label after renovation can certainly pay off. And that is information that sellers also like to receive from estate agents, our research also shows: the sales agent is seen - together with the government and subsidy providers - as the most important source of knowledge when it comes to making a home more sustainable.
