Lennart Brouwer
“After we moved about five years ago, we were quite shocked by the energy costs in our new house. Per year they were simply a few thousand euros higher than we were used to. That was a bit of a shock.”
“We immediately started talking to an energy advisor,” says Lennart. “He advised to tackle the roof first, because that is where a home loses the most heat. We insulated the roof from the inside. Later we also tackled the floor. I also first sought advice for this. Then I bought the material, measured everything from the crawl space, numbered it and then cut it to size above ground. It was quite a job to then attach those PIR plates to the floor in the crawl space. We worked on it for three weeks.”
The house feels a lot more pleasant. The draft is gone, it is less cold on your feet and the moisture problems have been greatly reduced
“We already had quotes for cavity wall insulation and decided at the end of 2020 to have that done immediately. That happened in no time and the difference was immediately noticeable. Because we didn’t do it eleven, we were able to apply for a SEEH subsidy for the cavity wall insulation. You only receive a subsidy for outsourced work. Moreover, you must always combine two measures. That is why we immediately had the last section of single glazing replaced with HR++ glass.”
Noticeable difference
“The difference was immediately noticeable. Gas consumption fell from almost 4,400 cubic meters in 2019 to just under 2,200 cubic meters in 2021. Moreover, the house feels a lot more pleasant. The draft is gone, it is less cold on your feet and the moisture problems have been greatly reduced. These moisture problems were an important reason for us to accelerate the insulation.”
TIPS FROM LENNART
- When you buy a house, check the condition of the insulation!
- Do not wait to insulate until the possibilities are optimal; just start!
- Purchasing an expensive heat pump only makes sense if your house is well insulated.
- You can do things even without a subsidy, especially if you are a little handy yourself.
ISOLATION MEASURES
- Roof: insulated from the inside (9 cm glass wool)
- Single glass replaced by HR++ glass
- Floor: 10 cm PIR plates from crawl space
- Walls: cavity wall insulation
- Adjusted the heating behavior of the central heating system, lower boiler temperature
- Door closers (hinge springs) on doors to colder rooms
Do it yourself
Letterbox brush
Roof insulation Flat roof
Roof-insulation Sloping roof
