People looking to renovate their homes in Flanders can soon apply for free tailor-made advice and guidance from the Flemish Government. The measure aims to encourage fixes to improve energy efficiency.
Around one in three homes in Flanders have an E or F Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), a label scoring homes' energy efficiency on a scale from A to F. Anyone buying a home with an E or F score must renovate to label D or higher within six years. The region has therefore gradually introduced measures to boost the rate at which people are renovating their homes.
"Today, people can count on a great deal of financial support in their renovations," said Depraetere. "But they often don't know how to start such a project." Hiring a contractor to help is a cost many Flemish households cannot afford.
Flemish Energy Minister Melissa Depraetere (Vooruit) has therefore launched a platform: My Renovation Guidance (Mijn VerbouwBegeleiding in Dutch). The platform offers free guidance to people for the renovation of their flats or houses.
Experts will go to people's homes to offer free and independent advice on the most suitable investments, assist in finding a suitable contractor, and help in applying for premiums and loans. The measure mainly targets the middle and lowest-income groups.
Mixed responses from sector
The main mouthpiece of the region's construction sector is Embuild Flanders. In response to the news, it said it welcomes all initiatives that can encourage renovations to make homes more energy-efficient. It noted that independent guidance also represents added value for contractors because the questions they receive will be more concrete.
"This saves the contractor time and work that they would not be able to invoice anyway and spend on effective execution," the organisation noted in a press release.
Meanwhile, the Bouwunie (the Flemish association for self-employed workers and SMEs in construction) feels that guidance on a renovation project is best done by a contractor.
"Who better than a contractor who is busy renovating day in, day out, to inform people on how to start such a project and execute it correctly," Bouwunie chief Jean-Pierre Waeytens told Belga News Agency. He added that the government should instead use the money to finance more and better support measures. "When all is said and done, only money draws people over the line."
