To reduce the carbon footprint of homes, a.s.r. wants to make it possible for all mortgage customers to live in an energy-efficient home. Not only customers who already live energy-efficiently, but also customers whose homes have a lower energy label. a.s.r. explicitly does not want to be just a mortgage lender for people with an energy-efficient home, but rather a mortgage lender that helps customers make their homes more sustainable. a.s.r. helps customers by lowering barriers to home sustainability. This is done in the following three steps.
Providing information; Making homes more sustainable starts with informing residents about the possibilities. a.s.r.'s award-winning Sustainable Housing platform features blogs, roadmaps and various videos on energy saving, sustainable housing and sustainable gardening. Customers can also subscribe to a monthly newsletter with tips and examples relating to sustainable living;
Financing; Besides using their own money to make their homes more sustainable, people can get a Sustainability Mortgage from a.s.r. As standard practice, a.s.r. offers a Sustainability Mortgage of € 9,000 with every interest rate offer. This allows homeowners who want to take out a mortgage with a.s.r. to borrow extra money for energy-saving measures, such as a heat pump, solar panels or insulation. Existing customers have the option to follow a shorter route and apply for the Sustainability Mortgage at a lower cost without advice (execution only). In the personal (digital) environment, they can take out a Sustainability Mortgage of up to € 9,000. In doing so, a.s.r. lowers the threshold to make their current home more sustainable;
Realisation; a.s.r. works together with De Energiebespaarders, an online platform for people who want to make their homes more sustainable. The advice and service provided by De Energiebespaarders is free for both new and existing customers with an a.s.r. mortgage. The advice includes a comprehensive home savings check at your home, advice on energy-saving measures, quotes for the possible solutions and help with the installation.
The emphasis on making homes more sustainable is paying off. Of all new mortgages taken out with a.s.r. in 2023, over 30% included some form of financing for sustainability. According to research by a.s.r. in collaboration with Calcasa, the homes that were made more sustainable went up an average of 1.5 energy label points due to the measures financed.