The cost of doing nothing: why not going green costs money

For years, sustainability was treated as something for the future. A heat pump. Solar panels. A home battery. Great plans. But also: hefty costs. So the same thing often happened.

Request a quote. Be shocked by the total cost. Close the tab. Put it off. But there’s an interesting twist to that these days. More and more experts in the energy market are no longer talking about the costs of sustainability. Instead, they’re talking about: The Cost of Doing Nothing. In other words: what does it actually cost if you do nothing? And honestly? That amount is rising faster than people think.

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The most expensive choice? Just wait a little longer.

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A poorly insulated home or an old boiler keeps eating up money. Not just once. But constantly. And those are costs that don’t lead anywhere.

Not to comfort.
Not toward home value.
Not toward lower monthly costs.

Just. Gone.

As a result, the question is slowly shifting from: What does sustainability cost? To: What will it cost if I wait another few years?

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Doing nothing feels safe. Until you do the math.

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Take an average row house from the 1970s or 1980s. The gas boiler uses an average of 1,320 m³ of gas per year. The residents request a quote for a heat pump. The price on the quote? €12,600 gross.

That amount is daunting. But is it actually accurate?

After deducting, for example, an ISDE subsidy of €3,025, the net investment comes to €9,575. In addition, the bill changes as well.

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So the savings here amount to €1,050 per year.

The cost of delaying

Based on €1.35/m³ for gas and €0.27/kWh for electricity, assuming prices and consumption remain constant.*

If you do nothing, you’ll spend over €41,000 on energy over 15 years, without improving your home.

If you choose a heat pump, you’ll invest €9,575 net and can save about €6,000 over the system’s lifespan in this example. Plus, you’ll immediately benefit from lower energy bills and a more sustainable home.

The real question

As a result, the discussion around sustainability is shifting away from “Can I afford this?” and increasingly toward “Can I afford to do nothing?”

Because while many people wait for “the right moment,” that energy bill just keeps piling up. And that may well be the true Cost of Doing Nothing.

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