Rotterdam in development

59 R O T T E R D A M I N D E V E L O P M E N T | 2 0 1 8 ENERGY BILL For Woonstad, increasing sustainability also has a definite social aspect. Molenaar: “The most important reason we’re doing this is so our tenants will feel the effects in their wallets. Living costs must remain affordable for them; the energy bill has to come down. Not to mention that the measures to increase sustainability will also make their homes more comfortable.” The residents have another role in this narrative: they must put the increase in sustainability into practice. “As a corporation, you can make a home more sustainable, but if the resident’s behaviour doesn’t change in line with that, you’ve got a problem. That’s why it’s important to engage the residents with all these big changes.” For this reason, Woonstad Rotterdam not only helps residents, but also trains energy coaches: interested residents of residential complexes receive training in how to help their neighbours to implement the sustainability measures. They also give tips on how to reduce their energy use. Woonstad Rotterdam is working hard to make the homes in its portfolio more sustainable. In Ommoord, large blocks of flats with gallery entrances are being improved, for example by giving them new insulation. Once that is complete, a large project will begin in Prinsenland to increase sustainability. The core theme in that project, in addition to the energy and climate transition, is the circular economy: only using materials that can be re-used, and demolishing structures in such a way as to give the materials a new purpose. Maria Molenaar: That is the future of a sustainable city: a city that is economically sustainable and positive both for people and for the environment. We want to do our bit to achieve that.” Woonstad Rotterdam is working on a large-scale renovation and increasing the sustainability of the ‘star flats’ (‘sterflats’) in Prinsenland, built in the 1960s under the ERA construction system In 2016, Woonstad Rotterdam began the large-scale renovation of the Hammarskjöldplaats (175 homes) and Viervantstraat (156 homes) in Ommoord and Prinsenland. In the same year, in partnership with Rotterdam’s Environmental Centre (Milieucentrum), the corporation began to train residents to become energy coaches. The number of energy coaches has increased further over the past year. During the Aedes survey, Woonstad Rotterdam received the best Energy Index (EI) grade out of all housing corporations that have more than 25,000 residential units: in 2015 the corporation achieved a 1.69, compared to a national average of 1.92. The average of all homes must be brought back to 1.4 EI by 2021. The Energy Index (the lower the score, the better) replaces the A–G energy labels.