Owners of a heat pump feel that they are left out in the cold. They will receive a lower energy premium this winter because they do not heat on gas, but only use electricity. People who heat with fuel oil or wood pellets do receive an extra allowance. 170,000 Flemish families heat themselves with a heat pump. The government did not want to provide an additional premium for them because they already received premiums when purchasing a heat pump.
JV
Oct 23 2022
Source:
VTM NEWS
In the winter months, many families receive an energy premium of 196 euros per month: 61 euros for electricity consumption and 135 euros for gas consumption. Because people with a heat pump only use electricity and not gas, they will receive a premium of about 300 euros in total over a period of five months, much less than the 1,000 euros that many families receive who heat their homes on gas.
People with a heat pump are easily left out, says Dirk Van Evercooren, director of ODE, the Flemish organization for sustainable energy. “The electricity premium is insufficient for people who heat with a heat pump”, believes Evercooren. Anyone who heats with fuel oil or wood pellets is entitled to an additional compensation, while heating with a heat pump is also the most environmentally friendly way. “Actually, the government should focus on structural measures that reduce consumption and move away from fossil energy by switching to renewable energy,” argues Evercooren.
The government says that an allowance for those who heat electrically has indeed been on the table, but it points out that people with a heat pump have already received premiums when purchasing it and that it is the international gas price that causes our bills to rise so sharply.
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