Nul-op-de-meter (NOM, literally “zero on the meter”) is the Dutch term for a home that generates as much energy over a year as it consumes, so the meter reads net zero across the year. Unlike the narrower term “energy neutral”, a NOM home usually counts not only building-related energy (heating, hot water, ventilation, auxiliary power) but also a standardised allowance for household electricity.
What a NOM home consists of
- A very good building envelope — thick insulation in floor, walls and roof, triple glazing and sealed junctions
- Airtight construction — verified with a blower door test
- Balanced ventilation with heat recovery — fresh air without throwing the heat away
- All-electric plant — usually a heat pump for space heating and hot water
- Solar PV — enough capacity to offset the annual consumption
- Monitoring — measurement of generation and use, so performance can be demonstrated
Important: a balance, not off-grid
Zero on the meter does not mean the house is disconnected. In summer it exports; in winter it imports. What matters is the annual balance. The calculation also assumes standardised occupant behaviour — a household that uses far more than the norm will not reach zero.
The energy performance payment
For rented NOM homes, Dutch law allows a landlord to charge an energy performance payment (energieprestatievergoeding, EPV) alongside the rent, which the tenant pays instead of most of an energy bill. The EPV carries statutory requirements on insulation levels and generating capacity; those requirements have been revised over the years, so always check the current scheme with the Dutch government and RVO.
Realistic expectations
- Bringing an existing home to NOM standard is a deep retrofit of envelope and services. Expect an investment running into tens of thousands of euros per dwelling
- Payback depends heavily on energy prices and any grant; calculate it with your own consumption rather than an average
- A staged approach (insulate first, add the heat pump later) spreads the cost and is often the wiser route
- Insulation comes before generation: solar panels on a poorly insulated house will never produce a clean zero
Related terms
- Energy-neutral building
- Nearly zero-energy building
- Heat pump
- Airtight construction
- Insulation value
Want to learn more about construction terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.