[7] Cutting consumption

[7] Cutting consumption

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Kurt is not only putting effort in optimizing the energy technology. He also tries to adopt good habits to minimize consumption. By installing a few kilowatt-hour meters, he is able to monitor the consumption of each energy function in the house. ‘This awareness helped us cut our consumption from 13,000 kWh per year to 9,500 kWh per year,’ he explains.

Of this energy, he can generate 3,500 to 3,600 kWh with his own PV system. The remaining 6,000 kWh is supplied by the grid. This is less than one fourth of the 24,880 kWh the average Flemish household is buying from the electricity and natural gas utilities. And by purchasing ‘green electricity’ from Nuon, which is generated by wind and hydro power, Kurt assured that his house is completely free of carbon emissions.

‘Our total energy bill is only 76 € per month’, he says. ‘For the PV system, I calculated a pay-back period of 17 years. With the new incentives of the Flemish Government (without subsidies but with a higher price for green certificates) the pay-back period would only have been 10 years.’