Zero-on-the-Meter Home

Balancing the Energy Meter to Zero

A nul-op-de-meter woning (Zero-on-the-Meter home, or NOM) is a residence designed and built to achieve a perfect energy balance over the course of a year. The principle is that the total amount of energy consumed by the home and its occupants for all purposes—from heating the space to running the television—is completely offset by the amount of renewable energy generated on-site. In the summer, the home's solar panels will produce a surplus of electricity that is fed back into the grid; in the winter, the home will draw energy from the grid. At the end of the year, the smart meter should, in theory, show a net consumption of zero.

A System of Performance Guarantees

To be officially classified as nul-op-de-meter, a building must come with a performance guarantee from the builder for a period of at least ten years. This guarantee assures the owner or tenant that the home will actually perform as designed. This is particularly important in the rental sector, where the NOM concept is linked to the Energieprestatievergoeding (EPV). A landlord can only charge this fixed monthly energy fee if they can prove the home meets the stringent NOM standards and can guarantee its performance. This shifts the performance risk from the tenant to the landlord, providing a powerful incentive for high-quality construction and a key mechanism for making sustainable living accessible and financially predictable for renters.