Can you get an energy label for free?
The short, honest answer: you cannot get an official and valid energy label for free. A certified advisor always has to inspect your home and register the label. What you can get for free — and why a ‘free’ label can actually cost you money when selling or renting — is explained below.
đĄ Need an official energy label? At Hollands Duurzaam from € 220 — including inspection, calculation and registration.
Calculate your price →Why an official energy label cannot be free
Since 2021, an energy label may only be issued by a certified energy advisor (BRL 9500). That advisor:
- đ inspects your home — surfaces, insulation values, glazing, installations and any solar panels;
- 𧎠calculates the energy performance using the statutory NTA 8800 method;
- đī¸ registers the label officially in EP-online, the national register.
That is real work, with expertise and liability, so it comes at a cost. A label offered ‘just for free’ without an inspection is therefore not a valid energy label — it is an estimate.
So what does that ‘free’ label mean?
The term ‘free energy label’ almost always refers to one of these three things:
- đī¸ Looking up your existing label — if your home has been labelled before, you can find that for free on EP-online. That is not a new label, but the existing one. How to look up your energy label →
- đ A ‘free calculation’ or check — online tools that give an estimate based on build year and type. Handy as a rough indication, but it is not a registered label.
- đī¸ The old provisional label from 2015 — back then all homeowners received a free provisional label from the government. Since 2021 that is no longer valid for sale or rental.
In short: free gives you at most an indication or your old label — not the legally valid, registered label you need for a transaction.
Exception: sometimes mortgage lenders or municipalities offer their customers a (partly) free energy label or energy advice as a promotion. That is a funded scheme, not a truly ‘free’ label — and usually temporary and subject to conditions. Ask your bank or municipality.
Watch out: cheap can turn out expensive
Besides ‘free’, there is also a lot of undercutting on price. Legally, any label a certified advisor registers in EP-online is equally valid. But very low rates sometimes come at the expense of a careful inspection. And that is not harmless:
- đ If not all insulation or double glazing is properly recorded, your label comes out lower than it should be.
- đ¸ One label class lower can easily mean thousands of euros in value and rental points when selling or renting.
- đ Correcting a label that is too low requires a new inspection — so you end up paying more anyway.
An advisor who documents the evidence properly (photos, building drawings, insulation invoices) often achieves a higher label. That is exactly what we focus on — and it more than pays for itself.
So what does a real energy label cost?
An official energy label is more affordable than many people think. At Hollands Duurzaam you pay from € 220, including inspection, calculation and registration in EP-online. The exact price depends on the type of home. Want to know exactly what it costs for your home? Read our article what does an energy label cost in 2026 or calculate your price right away.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get an energy label for free?
No, you cannot get an official and valid energy label for free. A certified energy advisor has to inspect your home and register the label in EP-online, and that involves costs. At Hollands Duurzaam you pay from € 220. What you can do for free is look up your existing label if there already is one.
What is the difference between a free (provisional) and an official energy label?
A provisional or indicative label is an estimate based on construction year and home type, without inspecting your home. It is free, but since 2021 it is no longer valid for sale or rental. An official energy label is determined by a certified advisor using the NTA 8800 method and registered in EP-online. Only that official label is legally valid.
Can I look up my energy label for free?
Yes. You can check for free whether your home already has a valid energy label via EP-online (ep-online.nl) by address. If a valid label is registered, you usually do not have to do anything. If there is no label or an expired one, you must have a new official label drawn up.
Why does an official energy label cost money?
Because real work goes into it: a BRL 9500 certified advisor inspects the home, measures surfaces and insulation values, checks installations and calculates the energy performance according to NTA 8800. The label is then officially registered in EP-online. That expertise, liability and registration cost money.
Is a cheap energy label just as valid as an expensive one?
Legally, any label registered in EP-online by a certified advisor is equally valid. But very low prices sometimes come at the expense of a careful inspection, so your home gets a lower label than it deserves. An advisor who documents the evidence properly often achieves a higher label — and at sale or rental that is worth a lot of money.
Request an energy label?
No hassle with ‘free’ estimates: at Hollands Duurzaam you get an official, registered energy label from € 220, including free improvement advice. We are BRL 9500-MWA-W certified, a member of AVEPA and registered in EP-online.