When I moved house recently, I mentioned to my new landlord that it is a pity that there were no solar panels on the roof.
Despite living in Belgium – where the winters can be long and dark – there is still enormous potential to capture the sun’s light and to play my part in the energy transition.
I’m sure many other tenants out there can empathise with me when I heard my landlord’s response to my question: “Oh, we didn’t think about that”.
Although my landlord had not thought about it, thankfully the local municipal energy advice office clearly had: they were very helpful. I approached them, asking how I could convince my landlord to make the investment. They gave me indicative price for the type of house that I am living in: an investment of approximately €6,000.
A win-win for landlord and tenant
With this new information, I felt better prepared to go back and have another conversation with my landlord. So I sent her an email, encouraging her to invest in some solar panels.
I also explained that I would be happy to contribute to the purchase by an increase in my rent (as I would pay less for my electricity each month). I offered an amount of €50, reasoning that I would save this much on my energy bill, even including the charging of my electric vehicle at home.
After several months of hesitation – but also in the context of rising energy prices and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (some awareness raising happened, I believe) – the landlord finally got back to me.
She offered another solution. I would contribute 50% of the initial investment, without any increase in the rent. At least not at first. Only after a period of three years, she said, would I see an increase in the rent of €50 each month.
Still, this sounded like a good deal to me, but also for my landlord. She wants me to stay in the house (and keep her tenant happy), and for me investing this money was a good alternative to leaving it sitting in a savings account earning almost no interest.
Instant payback
Having agreed on the course of action, we were both happy. My landlord now has a more manageable up-front investment and pay-back period for the solar panels. Meanwhile, I now have as of day one, cheap access to electricity, while using my previously sleeping savings for green reasons.
I now have as of day one, cheap access to electricity
Buoyed by this experience, we even considered investing in a heat pump, but the idea was quickly discarded. After all, the house is just two years old, has a very good Energy Performance Certificate rating of B, very low gas consumption (less than 5,000 kwh annually) and subsidies for heat pumps do not apply to such new homes.
Nevertheless, my landlord was so inspired by this conversation that she decided to ask for a quote for solar panels for her own house!
Making difficult conversations easier
I am aware that the conversation with my landlord was both constructive and fruitful: others might not be so lucky with theirs.
Impartial support provided by third parties – like consumer organisations or municipal energy support offices in my case – can help to overcome possible disputes and ensure fair cost-splitting, defining who pays what between tenants and landlords and to offer innovative financing solutions.
Ultimately, when both parties understand that investing in renewables and energy efficiency can be a win-win, it makes ‘the conversation’ much smoother. If you’re in the same situation as me, in a rented home and wondering how you can convince your landlord to invest, then go for it – there’s nothing to lose!