Citizen in Denmark - Ny i Danmark

Electricity, heating andwaterFINDING A PLACE TO LIVELoan - bank or mortgage creditYou can borrow money from a mortgage lender* to buyyour house or apartment. You can borrow money from abank to buy your housing society dwelling. The mortgagelender or bank will assess your ability to repay the loanbefore approving it. It is important that you are employedand earn a regular salary.In addition to rent, loan or mortgage payment, you will haveto pay for electricity, heating and water. You pay accordingto the amount you use. There are meters on the property.Electricity is supplied by a private electricity company, whileheating comes from a municipal or private heating plant.Large residential buildings may have their own heating plant.If you own your home, you will normally pay your water billtogether with your property tax.Costs are highIn Denmark, electricity, water and heating are expensive.This is because society wants to limit energy consumptionin order to protect the environment. You can save onelectricity, water and heating by:• Turning off the light when you leave a room.• Using low-energy light bulbs. They are more expensivethan standard light bulbs but they last ten times as long.• Take a shower instead of a bath.• Wash up using a washing-up basin - instead of runningwater.• Buy refrigerators, freezers and washing machines thatonly use a small amount of water and energy. Theappliance energy labelling will specify the amount ofenergy and water used as well as the efficiency of theappliance. Energy consumption uses a scale from Ato G, where A stands for the lowest energy consumption.Read more about energy labelling in Chapter 9,Economy and consumption.48