A sustainable home – one step at a time

“Sustainable living raises questions for lots of people,” says Business Developer Vincent van Dongen. “And the fewer answers they have, the less chance there is they’ll take the first step towards sustainability.” His colleague, Product Owner Bianca Anastacia, agrees: “Homeowners definitely feel the need to move towards sustainability, but unfortunately they also face a number of barriers. The sustainable living market can be confusing because there are so many different providers out there, not to mention all the recent changes relating to subsidies. Homeowners need an easy way to find out how much they can save and what the payback period will be on their investment.”

A personal step-by-step plan

To give homeowners a clear overview of their options, ABN AMRO has teamed up with HomeQgo to develop a personal step-by-step plan which helps those looking to buy or renovate a home get to grips with the choices they can make when it comes to sustainability.

The service is designed to facilitate discussions with ABN AMRO mortgage advisers. Clients are given tailored advice from HomeQgo, including an estimate of their costs and revenues, all based on client information, land registry data and an up-to-date subsidy overview from the consumer awareness organisation Milieu Centraal. “It’s hard to talk about sustainability if you’re not really sure what your options are,” Vincent explains. “Thanks to this service, though, we can now show clients in a matter of minutes the sustainability potential their homes have. And that means we can give them clear, targeted advice.”

A good place to start

Digital Expert Dean Kappen, who, like Bianca and Vincent, was closely involved in developing the service, emphasises that the step-by-step plan helps get homeowners to take the plunge. He says, “You can tell a client they need a heat pump or full insulation, but that’s not always an obvious first step. Our service gives clients two accessible steps to get them started – solar panels being a good example. These can be financially advantageous in combination with the netting scheme [a tax measure called the ‘salderingsregeling’ in Dutch whereby consumers can offset their energy costs by feeding electricity they produce back into the grid]. As a result, they save on energy consumption and are compensated for any unused power. These days, the cost of solar panels is reasonable, and HomeQgo’s calculations show that the payback period is relatively short. So it’s a good place to start.”

Using their step-by-step plan, clients can also request a quote for virtually all energy-saving measures, such as insulation, solar panels or a heat pump. HomeQgo then coordinates the measures to be taken, working with selected installers and monitoring quality, price and service.

Sound, sensible financial advice

But don’t clients just come to the bank for a loan? Are they always open to talk about sustainability? “The main reason clients approach us is for financing,” says Bianca, “but sustainability can also have a major impact on their financial position.” Vincent adds, “Our clients expect sound, sensible financial advice from ABN AMRO. The big question is always, how much is my home costing me? That includes not just the mortgage, but also things like energy consumption. And if a client is planning to move house or renovate, that’s the perfect time to make choices about sustainability.”

In addition to the personal step-by-step plan, ABN AMRO has other ways to encourage clients to make their homes more sustainable. Homeowners can, for example, receive a rate reduction at the start of a new interest rate contract once their home has been awarded an energy label A.

Mission 2030

At the moment, between 60 and 70 per cent of all homes financed by ABN AMRO have an energy label A, B or C. “The bank’s Mission 2030 states that all real estate financed by the bank must have an average energy label A by 2030,” says Dean. “Mortgages make up the lion’s share of our balance sheet, and that means we can make a big impact here. Obviously, that’s why our goal is to motivate homeowners to make their homes more sustainable. In order to provide our clients with the help they need, all the bank’s mortgage advisers will have been certified as sustainable living advisers by the end of the year. Currently, over 80 per cent have already completed the course.”

The initial results of the personal step-by-step plan are promising. Bianca says, “From a practical perspective, it can often take clients up to three years before they finally decide to take action. As a result of the new plan, though, quotes have already been requested and accepted. Many clients ask if they can keep a copy of the plan to review it at a later time. It’s exciting that the step-by-step plan lets us advise our clients on sustainability in such an accessible way.”