“We don’t have a large garden,” says Wilco Eindhoven from Heemstede. “The outdoor unit of a heat pump sucks in air, which makes noise. If the neighbors sleep with the windows open, it will bother them. If all neighbors have such a device, no one will sleep anymore.”
A hybrid heat pump pays off if the home has been sufficiently invested. Otherwise a lot of gas has to be added. Yvette Lijnbach: ,,We are being pushed down our throats a bit, which is of no use to us in our case. We live in an old house from 1908, we have done everything within our budget for insulation, but a heat pump is not going to work in our house.”
Richard Hempelman has isolated as much as possible in his legalized recreational bungalow in Harderwijk. “And then a heat pump. I wouldn’t know where that thing should be. I only have two bedrooms. I’ll have to sacrifice one. I only pay 50 euros on gas and light per month. Now I feel like I’ve isolated the whole thing for Jan Joker. I’m 67, I’ll never get that back.”
Roel de Locht’s house in Annen has hot air heating. He breaks his head as to what to do. His heating needs to be replaced after thirty years. “If I replace it now, I’ll still be years after 2026. On the other hand: they are always coming up with something new in The Hague. Hot air will soon be banned as well. Then it’s my turn. I have a system with air ducts and ventilation grilles. No water and radiators. I have to adapt the entire infrastructure of my home. Getting all that stuff done costs 10,000 euros alone. And then everything still has to go in…”
Fit
Stella Blankers from Assen is awake. ,,I’m 72, my husband is 75. We have AOW with an extra pension. We don’t even have money for a vacation. We cannot afford an expensive hybrid heat pump. Would they know in The Hague that there are many people like us?”
Koos Vlug from Nijkerk would like a heat pump in his apartment on the fifth floor, only the Association of Owners is not cooperating. “I am not allowed to hang a unit on the outside wall. Where else should I put it? No idea!”
Spokesperson Hans Andre de la Porte of the Home Ownership Association emphasizes that the upcoming obligation will apply to homes ‘that are suitable’. So the question is: what is the criterion? Clarity needs to be made about this quickly.” He also wants to play a pioneering role for municipalities, for example for residents of monuments. In general, he says: ,,If it works well, gas consumption can be reduced by sixty percent with a hybrid system. That is a nice result.”