New analysis by Savills Data, Intelligence & Strategy shows that a large proportion of lettings in the Dutch office market in 2023 took place in buildings with a high energy label.
As many as 56.09% of leased office spaces had an Energy Label Performance Certificate (EPC) A or better.
The data indicates a strong trend towards sustainable and energy-efficient office buildings in the Netherlands, Savills said. According to the renovation standard, an office with an A+++ label is considered sustainable, in line with the climate agreement.
Besides the highest energy performance, there were also rental transactions in buildings with lower energy labels B to G.
A closer look at all office buildings in the Netherlands reveals that 42.56% of stock currently has an energy label A or better.
The difference between the amount of energy-efficient office space and rental transactions can be explained by the discrepancy in supply and demand of such highly rated buildings.
According to Savills, a large proportion of the buildings with an energy label lower than C are monumental properties. These assets often face restrictions in implementing energy-saving measures, which affects their energy label. Monuments are also excluded from the obligation that newly leased offices must have an energy label C or higher.
Wouter van 't Grunewold, market intelligence analyst at Savills in the Netherlands, said: 'This analysis shows that the Dutch office market is seeing a clear shift towards energy efficiency. With more than half of lease transactions in buildings having an EPC label A or higher, sustainability is playing an increasingly important role for real estate occupiers.'
Iris Kampers, ESG advisor at Savills in the Netherlands, added: 'It is important to note that according to the latest forecast, EPBD IV uniform labelling is going to be introduced in Europe in 2027.
'This will mean that A+ will be the new maximum, which stands for net-positive. Label A will stand for energy neutral. There is currently very little energy-neutral supply of office space in the Netherlands, equating to only 0.19% of the current stock.
'This presents a great opportunity to (re)develop Dutch offices in order to make them more sustainable to meet demand.'
