It is busier than ever at glass companies in our province. Due to the high energy prices, people want to better insulate their homes with double glazing. And it has recently become easier for them to get money for this through subsidies. This causes long queues at glaziers. “I’m full until the end of September.”
The bustle at glass companies does not come out of the blue. “It has been busy for years, but especially now,” says Roland Brockholz of RB Glas from Rosmalen. Friday afternoon he is busy at a house in Berlicum. Old glass goes out and new, double glass goes in.
That is the wish of many of his customers. “When you turn on the television, it is constantly about sustainability. Many people want to have double glazing installed to prevent high heating costs. I order new glass every day.”
“I’m full of appointments until the construction holiday.”
At Ouwerkerk Glasmontage, the well-insulating HR++ glass is also very popular. “I’m full of appointments until the construction holiday,” says owner Ronald Ouwerkerk. For the past year and a half he has noticed that it is busier.
According to glass installer Niels Coolen from Nuenen, this is partly due to the corona crisis. “People spent a lot of time at home and noticed that it was cold in the house. Now that the high energy prices are added to that, sustainability is more important than ever.”
Not only the corona crisis and high energy prices have an impact on the crowds. The Investment Subsidy for Sustainable Energy (ISDE) has been easier to obtain since the beginning of this year. For example, you can already receive a subsidy for one insulation measure. When installing insulating glass, you would get back between fifteen to thirty percent of the invested amount. “That convinces people,” says Ouwerkerk.
“Applying for a grant is a complicated process.”
Yet it turns out to be easier said than done to apply for a subsidy for making your home more sustainable. “Of course we give people the codes to apply for the subsidy, but I often hear that it is a complicated process,” says glazier Brockholz.
This is also stated by the Vereniging Eigen Huis (VEH). “A third of the homeowners dropped out when applying for a subsidy for sustainability,” VEH reported known this week. In addition, the subsidy amounts for homeowners are often disappointing, according to reports. For example, they only get back five percent of the invested amount and not the promised fifteen percent.
In any case, this has no influence on the work of the glaziers. They will continue to work for the foreseeable future. Niels Coolen from Nuenen: “I’m full until the end of September.”
