If it’s up to Michael, Rienk, Monique, Daniel and Nelleke, neighbors from Broekpolder in Beverwijk, their neighborhood will soon become a lot more sustainable. Together with the Buurkracht foundation, they organized a heat pump campaign.
When Michael received the Buurkracht flyer, which asked about local residents who wanted to contribute to more sustainability in the neighbourhood, he didn’t have to think long. “I was very curious about what you as local residents can achieve together in the field of sustainability.”
Rienk, Monique, Daniel and Nelleke also responded to the call and together with Michael they form the neighborhood team. “We came together to discuss how we could best approach it. Then we decided to first do a survey in the neighborhood to find out where everyone’s needs lie,” says Michael.
The biggest demand turned out to be for heat pumps. And according to Michael, that is not surprising. “This neighborhood was built 20 years ago and the central heating boilers need to be replaced. The houses are well insulated, so a heat pump is a good choice.” The demand for solar panels was also huge. A second team was then set up to deal with this.
Wrong information
Michael soon finds out that many people actually don’t know very well about heat pumps. “All kinds of people came to us with questions. Does a heat pump not make a lot of noise, how much space does it take in the house, shouldn’t there be a well under the ground. The information they had was either out of date or not applicable. But the people who they already have, have no noise nuisance at all. And, according to the municipality, it also fits well in this neighborhood, because they are not going to invest in hydrogen solutions or district heating for the next 20 years.”
“It is great to see and feel that there is so much energy and motivation in the current two neighborhood teams that they are already talking about follow-up actions”
In general, the reactions are much more positive than he expected. “You hope that you can make a difference together in a way that also fits everyone’s ideas. With this action we can make an impact and there is something for everyone: whether in the field of the environment or for the wallet.”
Social cohesion
Chris Bakker supports the neighborhood team from Buurkracht and fully supports this ‘action from below’. “As Neighborhood Power, we are convinced that a facilitating way of doing and thinking within a municipality brings residents and the same municipality closer together. In any case, I am confident that social cohesion in Broekpolder will only grow as more actions are taken. In the end, this social cohesion is also the main goal of the Neighborhood Power Foundation, since there are all kinds of indirect consequences, such as a sense of security, combating loneliness and even more ideas and actions for the neighborhood.”
Bakker: “Although a neighborhood action is manageable for everyone and the duration is 3 to 4 months, time, in addition to motivation, of course remains a crucial factor. It is great to see and feel that the current two neighborhood teams contain so much energy and motivation that they’re already talking about follow-ups.”
Information evening
On April 18, the neighborhood team organized an information evening in the Grote Kerk in Beverwijk. There, interested parties can get more information about which solution is right for them. If they are interested, an installer will pay a visit to further discuss the exact options.
But whether the purchase of a heat pump is feasible for everyone remains the question. It is a considerable investment, of about 6,000 to 15,000 euros. Still, Michael is convinced it’s a good move. “I installed a heat pump myself three years ago. The investment was low and last year we had zero on the energy bill. For many people, last year was a very difficult year in terms of energy. I think that if you know a little better how those prices together, you can make your choice more consciously.”