Resident Ron

A beautiful location, space in and around the house and French doors to the garden; the choice for the semi-detached house in Burgum was quickly made for Ron and his wife Miranda in 2008. Eight years later, they started insulating and preserving the house step by step.

Make an appointment with an energy coach

Ron: "In 2016, we replaced the direct -fired boiler for hot air heating and the electric hot water heater with a combination boiler with heat exchanger. Then I installed radiators throughout the house so we could get rid of the hot air heating. That caused huge gas consumption during the heating season. We were at about 2,500 m3 per year."

'Choices I weigh well and want to be able to justify'

Insulate and ventilate

Floor insulation with thermal pads followed in 2020. Two years later, Ron and Miranda had the wooden window frames with double glazing replaced for plastic window frames with HR+++ glass. "We had to save up for that. Fortunately, we got a third back through national and provincial subsidies." The aluminum edge around the glass did create a cold bridge to the inside, resulting in condensation and mold on the ceiling of one of the bedrooms. "Good ventilation turned out to be the solution."

Quite a job

In 2023, Ron insulated the attic himself. "Quite a job in addition to my daily activities. In hindsight, I would have outsourced that too. A professional company got it in in no time and then I could have applied for a subsidy." In addition, Ron had the cavity wall cleared and new cavity wall insulation installed. "The old insulation from the 1980s was all sagging and damp." Off the gas "Our gas consumption is now around 750 m3 per year and living comfort has increased significantly." But Ron still has wishes. In a year or two he wants to get rid of the gas and switch to "all electric" via a heat pump. He also wants to recover heat through balanced ventilation and from shower water.

What to do and what not to do

"For all actions, I seek information and weigh carefully: what to do and what not to do. Saving energy and therefore money is one factor here. Another important goal is to reduce my private -footprint. I want to be able to justify my choices. For ourselves as well as for our children and possible future grandchildren."

Tips from Ron

Set goals for yourself and make a multi-year plan.
Seek information and advice, such as through the municipality.
Cut your end goal into small steps