Kitchen and bathroom or energy label: where do you invest first?

Why the comparison is not one-to-one

Kitchen and bathroom are valued in the housing valuation system based on quality and fittings, on their own point scale separate from energy performance. The exact current point amounts per quality level of kitchen and bathroom have not been confirmed in detail in the sources consulted for this article, so a direct return comparison per euro invested cannot be firmly substantiated here without those figures.

What is certain: energy label points have been substantially increased since the WWS revision, with deduction points for E, F and G and considerably higher points for D and better. That makes insulation a heavily weighted factor in the total point count for homes with a poor label.

Why pursuing sustainability measures is often still the first step

For homes with label E, F or G, besides the WWS points, the upcoming Bbl obligation also plays a role: you have to bring these homes to at least label D by 2029 at the latest anyway. An investment in insulation therefore serves two purposes at once, while a kitchen or bathroom renovation only affects the WWS points.

Therefore, have a full WWS point count drawn up per home that calculates both the current and the expected situation after insulation and after any kitchen or bathroom replacement, so you can choose based on concrete figures for your own property, rather than on a general rule of thumb.

• Energy label points have been substantially increased since the WWS revision, with a deduction for E, F, G.
• A label jump to D simultaneously meets the 2029 Bbl requirement.
• Request a full, current point count per home before choosing between insulation and kitchen/bathroom.