While most people from Brabant pay hundreds of euros per month for their heating and hot water next winter, Marga Hendriks only pays 35 euros. She recently moved to the most sustainable and energy-efficient flat in Den Bosch. “We don’t have to worry about rising gas prices. That is very nice,” says de Bossche.
Marga and her husband will not have to think about taking shorter showers or turning on the heating in order to save costs this winter. They have been living in one of the most sustainable rental apartments in Den Bosch since August. The flats are designed in such a way that residents use very little energy and therefore pay very little.
As an advance, de Bossche pays about 35 euros per month for hot water and heating and cooling her apartment. “That amount has already been estimated quite high, so there is a good chance that we will even get money back after a year.”
“Residents of a normal flat use ten times as much gas.”
When you walk into the living room, you immediately notice the huge window with conservatory. The sun is shining brightly inside. “The sunlight heats a large part of the house. This means you don’t have to turn on the heating as quickly,” says Marga.
The sunlight is not only used to save energy, but also to generate energy. There are dozens of solar panels on the roof of the flat. “We use those panels for hot water, the heat pump or we feed that extra energy back to the grid,” says design manager Carl-Peter Goossen.
Because the sun shines less in the winter months, there is also a heat pump in the building. It is intended for all 31 households in the flat. “The house is already a lot warmer because of the glass windows. The heat pump can keep your house warm with very little energy,” explains Goossen. “Residents of a normal flat use ten times as much gas.”
“I’m glad we’re off the gas now.”
The Gestelse Neighborhood in Den Bosch has deteriorated considerably in recent years. To give the neighborhood a boost, BrabantWonen decided to demolish old flats and rebuild the sustainable flats for them.
Marga and her husband had been looking for another house for some time. “I don’t mind the fact that the apartments are in this neighborhood. Before that, we lived in a poorly insulated owner-occupied house in Uden. That is why we were looking for a sustainable house. Without gas,” says the resident. “When gas prices also rose enormously, this apartment came just in time.”
So while they pay a few tens a month in heating costs, others pay hundreds to thousands of euros extra in gas. “I find that very annoying for all those people, because you don’t want to worry about your gas bill,” says Marga. “I’m glad we’re off the gas now. We moved at the right time.”
