Most Tiny Houses have solar panels on the roof, whether they are completely self-sufficient or feed back into the grid. It is a sustainable form of living due to the use of bio-based materials and the low energy consumption of the house, generating your own green energy with solar panels fits in perfectly with this. Moreover, it is a financially smart choice.
Sometimes, however, a budget is completely consumed by the construction of the Tiny House and there is no money left for the ‘extras’. The thought is to get to that later, after saving up money for it. But did you know that there are quite a few options to help finance your solar panels and other installations, such as subsidies for solar panels and extra affordable loans? We have listed a few for you.
No national subsidy, but VAT free
The national subsidy scheme for solar panels has unfortunately stopped. But it is good to know that the VAT rate on solar panels has been 0% since 2023. That makes a difference! The netting arrangement still applies and will not be phased out for the time being. Although you cannot finance the purchase of your solar panels with this, you can earn them back when you supply them back to the grid. According to the Rijksoverheid, this can be done in seven years.
The Energy Saving Loan
If you want to make your home more sustainable by, for example, installing solar panels, you can take out the very favorable Energy Saving Loan for this. This is offered by the National Heat Fund and the Triodos bank. At Triodos you can only take out this loan if you also take out a mortgage. You pay 0% interest for the first ten years. The National Heat Fund is there for people who already have a house and who will later make it more sustainable, so you do not also have to take out a mortgage. Depending on your income, this is possible at 0% interest. There are also options for people who cannot actually take out a loan because their income is too low.
A loan from your municipality
With some municipalities you can take out an Svn sustainability loan at a favorable interest rate of 1.7%. You then borrow money from your municipality with a term of ten or fifteen years, intended for an investment in sustainable measures for your home. You can check whether your municipality offers this option via the Svn website. If that is not the case, there may be other local schemes that you can take advantage of, such as an Incentive Scheme. So just call the municipality.
Buy solar panels collectively
If you invest in solar panels together with your neighbors, for your individual homes and perhaps also for a communal building, you can jointly purchase cheaper. But even if you don’t have that option, you can still participate in a solar panel collective such as that of the Consumers’ Association. This way you still get the benefit of joint purchasing, without any extra hassle.
Other sustainable subsidies
In addition to smartly subsidizing your solar panels, you can also apply for a subsidy for your insulation via the amended Investment Subsidy for Sustainable Energy and Energy Savings (ISDE). Since this year, there is even an extra subsidy for ‘environmentally friendly insulation material’, or bio-based insulation materials. You can also finance heat pumps and solar boilers with the ISDE.
Unfortunately, there is no regulation for home batteries yet, but there is certainly a chance that one will come in the future. Home batteries can play a role in relieving an overloaded network and encouraging sustainable use of energy. Do you know of any other subsidies that are interesting for Tiny House owners (to be?) Share your knowledge in the comments, so that it will benefit everyone.
Photography: Ronald Lammers, Bluemonque.
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