affordable housing and a step forward in sustainability

At Wetland, we believe it's important to provide tenants with comfortable living conditions and keep housing as affordable as possible. But it's not our only focus. Sustainability is also a key pillar. Jochem Deen, policy advisor at Wetland, explains how tenants and the environment benefit from the solar panel project that launched in November 2023.

 

2,000 panels

In collaboration with Ecorus, we started installing the first solar panels on the roofs of rental properties in November 2023. "We want to install a total of 2,000 panels," says Jochem. "We're already over halfway there and we're very much on schedule. We expected to be finished in May 2025, but if all goes well, it could easily be the end of 2024."

 

Listening to tenants

A key foundation for the project is research into tenants' housing needs. "In 2022, we conducted extensive research into what our tenants consider important for a comfortable living environment," explains Jochem. "During the Wetland Policy Days, we set up a pop-up tent in each residential area where we spoke with tenants. We asked open-ended questions about how they live and what they like and dislike. This provided us with valuable insights into their housing needs. Installing solar panels was a frequently expressed request."

 

Affordability and sustainability hand in hand

The rising energy costs of recent years have affected many people. "Our tenants too," says Jochem. "This has caused housing costs to rise for many households. Something we at Wetland want to prevent as much as possible. It's essential for us that our homes remain affordable. By installing solar panels, we address these rising costs. Even in the future, when we might face feed-in tariffs, solar panels will remain the most cost-effective option."

"Moreover, we're helping the planet. If we, like the rest of the Netherlands, want to be energy neutral by 2025, it's crucial that we reduce the CO2 emissions from our homes. With this solar panel project, we're taking a significant step in that direction."

 

No rent increase

We offer the solar panels free of charge to our tenants. We can do this because the landlord levy was abolished in 2023. "Some housing associations do charge a small rent increase for installing panels," says Jochem. "But we've consciously chosen not to. We prioritize affordability. A rent increase would partially negate the cost savings, and we want to avoid that."

Still, things might have turned out differently if the levy hadn't been dropped. Jochem: "It gave us the financial leeway to tackle this project on a large scale. Without the levy being dropped, we might have had to implement a smaller program or ask tenants for a small contribution."

 

Collaboration as the key to success

Jochem believes the project's progress is partly due to the collaboration with various parties. "We've encountered several challenges, but despite this, the project is running more smoothly than expected. We had to deal with nature surveys, protected cityscapes, limited installation capacity during a certain period, and grid congestion."

Jochem explains what grid congestion is. "If you install solar panels on many houses simultaneously, it can lead to grid overload. Together with several partners, we finally found a solution that distributes the generated power more evenly throughout the day. By using a different inverter, we avoid the midday peak and prevent grid overload. This is good news, because otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to install panels in many places (yet)."

A project like this requires a great deal of coordination, says Jochem. "Especially between Wetland, technical expert Trevian, grid operator Enexis, and main contractor Ecorus. But fortunately, all parties are deeply involved, making the collaboration smooth and successful."

 

Proud of the results

At Wetland, we're proud of what we've achieved so far. Jochem: "It was quite a challenge, but as a relatively small corporation, we were able to install thousands of solar panels in a year. This means we're well ahead of our sustainability goals. But we're not resting on our laurels. There's still plenty to focus on, so there's a good chance we'll continue this acceleration in the coming period."

Source: www.wetlandwonen.nl

 

Netting arrangement in the future

With solar panels, you generate your own electricity. You use part of the generated power directly. The unused portion is fed back into the grid. Norm (formerly Ecorus) registers the solar panels for you with your grid operator via www.energieleveren.nl. Your energy supplier will receive a notification. They annually offset the energy you feed back into the grid with the energy you consume. This is called net metering. 

 

The new government plans to abolish the net metering scheme in 2027. It's not yet known exactly what this means. This means nothing will change for you at this time. Furthermore, when this scheme is abolished, you will only pay extra if you feed in more power than you use. However, an average household consumes more power annually than its solar panels generate. We will share more information with you as soon as we have more information. 

 

In addition, energy suppliers have recently started charging a fee for feeding energy back into the grid. We understand you may be concerned about this. However, solar panels on your home can also save you money on your monthly energy bills with this feed-in fee.  

 

A frequently asked question:

Do I have to pay for the return of electricity if the net metering scheme is abolished?

The news about the elimination of the net metering scheme has been causing a lot of unrest lately. We understand that it's quite difficult to keep up with all the developments. That's why we'd like to explain what will change for you and why solar panels are still a very good idea, both for the environment and your wallet.

 

If your home is suitable for solar panels, we'll install them completely free of charge. This means you don't have to make any initial investment, and it won't take any extra time to recoup your investment. You'll immediately benefit from lower energy bills.

The net metering scheme is expected to be phased out starting in 2027. Until then, nothing will change. Furthermore, when this scheme is phased out, you will only pay extra if you feed in more power than you consume. A maximum of eight solar panels, each with a 400 watt-peak output (Wp), will be installed on your home.

Together, they generate approximately 2,560 kWh of electricity annually, depending on the amount of sunshine (kWh refers to electricity consumption). However, an average household consumes more electricity annually than 2,560 kWh and therefore doesn't generate any electricity back, which requires additional payment.

Still not reassured and worried you'll have to pay extra for feeding power back into the grid? You can always turn off your solar panels yourself at the meter box.

 

Source: www.wetlandwonen.nl