It seems that the municipality of Assen can continue with its plan to make the Kloosterveen start-up area free of natural gas. Tonight there was little opposition from the city council to the extra investment of almost 125,000 euros, necessary for the elaboration of a plan of approach and helping residents. If that extra money is not made available, the Kloosterveen Duurzaam Warm project threatens to come to a standstill as of 1 July.
The extra money comes from the government. This allows the project group to continue researching the best solution for how Assens’ youngest residential area can get rid of gas before 2030, and how residents can be helped to make their homes more sustainable. And ultimately there appears to be no feasible and affordable solution before 2030, at least before 2050, as is prescribed nationally.
Earlier research had already shown that Kloosterveen is not really suitable for a collective heat network, in which all houses are heated with geothermal energy or heated water, as is the plan for the older Lriks-West district, which is also a starting area and also a national testing ground. In Kloosterveen, such a heat network is not promising, according to the municipality after research. For example, the houses are too far from each other, and most houses are in good condition.
That is why Kloosterveen is looking for individual solutions. all electric, whereby the houses are fitted with heat pumps, seemed to be the best choice for this district for the time being, the municipality decided last year. But after much resistance from residents against this, it was agreed to look at alternative solutions.
According to alderman Karin Dekker (GroenLinks), customization is being carried out in Kloosterveen. The municipality does the preliminary work, in close collaboration with residents’ groups. And then it is everyone’s free choice when and how they want to get rid of the gas.
The best way to do this is now being examined per household or groups of homes. The same method can be applied for similar houses. Scans have been carried out for four different types of homes, several technical options for sustainable heat have been worked out, and financial calculations have been made.
But the level of the investment again depends on the personal choice of homeowners, their motivation, and also how suitable it is in the home. This is being investigated further. According to the municipality, the detailed plan elaboration for Kloosterveen could possibly serve as an example for other neighborhoods in Assen that must also become natural gas-free in the future.
It should be clear before the summer holidays what the most promising solutions are for making the houses natural gas-free. A district implementation plan should be ready by the end of this year.
In March last year, the Kloosterveen residential area was designated as a starting area in the energy transition in Assen. In the beginning there was a lot of commotion from the neighborhood, so that a step back was made. Alderman Dekker then held a number of discussions with the Sustainable Kloosterveen team, which revealed that the municipality is investigating who would like to participate in the project together with residents. Home owners now decide for themselves which step they take and when. There is no coercion and no obligation to have the home natural gas-free before 2030.
The city council will make a final decision next Thursday whether the extra money will be allocated to the Kloosterveen Duurzaam Warm project.