What does a better energy label do for the price?
Two things: lower bills and a higher price when you sell. According to Bolius, each better letter adds on average about DKK 500 per m². For a 130 m² house, a step from D to C is roughly DKK 65,000 in price.
It pays for a seller to lift the letter before selling in the cheapest way, and that way does not always make the house warmer. Solar panels and district heating pull the letter up through the energy-source factor. Insulated walls and new windows change both the letter and the comfort. Check exactly what the house was improved with.
Which energy improvements pay off fastest?
Bolius examples for a typical house, from fastest to slowest payback:
| # | Measure | Example price | Saving per year | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cavity wall insulation (hulmursisolering), 85 m² | DKK 17,000 | DKK 5,000-6,250 | 2-4 years |
| 2 | Heat pump instead of an old oil boiler | DKK 125,000 | DKK 20,000 | 6-7 years |
| 3 | Extra loft insulation, 130 m² | DKK 26,000 | DKK 2,800-3,500 | 7-10 years |
| 4 | Solar panels 6 kW | DKK 110,000 | DKK 9,225 | 10-12 years |
| 5 | Energy-efficient glazing, 30 m² | DKK 40,000 | DKK 2,700-3,375 | 12-15 years |
| 6 | External wall insulation, 50 m² | DKK 160,000 | DKK 8,000-10,000 | 16-20 years |
| 7 | Floor insulation with a new floor, 150 m² | DKK 750,000 | DKK 1,000-4,000 | never pays back |
Prices and savings from Bolius examples (energy prices of February 2023, rows 6-7 prices from 2022). We calculated the payback for rows 6-7 ourselves: price divided by saving, without interest or grants.
Calculator: payback for your price and saving
Payback time and what a better letter does to the price
Simple payback without interest or grants. Price effect: about DKK 500 per m² per letter (Bolius). That is an average, not a guarantee.
Why don't solar panels make the house warm?
Solar panels produce electricity. They improve the energy label because the house gets "its own" energy (Bolius). But they do not change how much heat the house loses through walls, windows and roof.
A classic case from our reviews: an old fibre-cement roof, possibly with asbestos, with solar panels on top. The letter got better, but the roof is still old. When the roof is due, the panels have to come down and go back up, and asbestos removal adds about DKK 750 per m² (DI 2026). In a house with poor ventilation and cold walls, it is just as damp after the panels, only with cheaper electricity.
Can you trust the Danish energy label?
Partly. The energy label is calculated with standard weather, a standard number of occupants and standard habits, not with your actual consumption. According to Bolius, errors appear in almost one in four energy labels.
What to check:
- the year of the label: have windows, heating or insulation changed since?
- the heat source: district heating or a heat pump changes the letter a lot;
- the suggestions section: that is where the consultant writes what is weak in the house;
- the seller's real bills for 2-3 years: they say more than the letter.
In our data, 36 of 63 houses had energy label C, although 58 of 63 were built in 1950-1990 and 50 of 63 are on district heating. A C in a 1970s house with fjernvarme and a C in a new house mean very different walls.
Which energy improvements should you make before moving in?
The cheap ones without dust in the living rooms:
- loft insulation: done in a day, no work in the rooms;
- cavity wall insulation: blown in from outside, also in a day;
- draught-proofing doors and windows;
- checking the ventilation in the bathroom and kitchen.
A heat pump and new windows are better planned after the first winter, when you know the real bills.
Are there grants for energy renovation in Denmark?
Houses with energy labels D-G can apply to the state energy renovation scheme (Energirenoveringspuljen), according to Bolius. Terms and application windows change, so check sparenergi.dk before you plan.
My view
I read the energy label not as a grade for the house but as a list of what is weak in it. The most valuable part of the report is not the letter but the page of suggestions. And before buying, I would not compare two houses' letters but their winter heating bills.
Yurii Khlivnenko, founder of NordIndsigt
On your own or with us?
The energy label is free, with suggestions and prices, and you can read it yourself. We see the energy labels of hundreds of houses, so we know when a C means a warm house and when it means district heating and panels. A good letter is reassuring, especially when you like the house. With us you get a list of the measures that pay off in this house, with prices.
In short
The letter matters less than how it was achieved and what the house costs to heat in winter.
Energy label versus real costs?
BoligCheck reads the energy label together with the condition report and shows which measures pay off in this house.
Order BoligCheck, DKK 299Frequently asked questions
What does a better energy label do for the price?
Two things: lower bills and a higher price when you sell. According to Bolius, each better letter adds on average about DKK 500 per m². For a 130 m² house, a step from D to C is roughly DKK 65,000 in price.
Which energy improvements pay off fastest?
Bolius examples for a typical house, from fastest to slowest payback:
Why don't solar panels make the house warm?
Solar panels produce electricity. They improve the energy label because the house gets "its own" energy (Bolius). But they do not change how much heat the house loses through walls, windows and roof.
Can you trust the Danish energy label?
Partly. The energy label is calculated with standard weather, a standard number of occupants and standard habits, not with your actual consumption. According to Bolius, errors appear in almost one in four energy labels.
Which energy improvements should you make before moving in?
The cheap ones without dust in the living rooms:
Are there grants for energy renovation in Denmark?
Houses with energy labels D-G can apply to the state energy renovation scheme (Energirenoveringspuljen), according to Bolius. Terms and application windows change, so check sparenergi.dk before you plan.
