Switching from gas and switching to an electric heat pump, for example, can cost you thousands of euros. Leo Burgers from Escaren took a different approach. He built his own electric heating system to heat his home. With an investment of around 2,500 euros, he is now warm and the central heating boiler is ready to go.
Leo points to some kind of painting on the wall. It’s one of his infrared panels. That’s one of the parts of his heating system. “This was the first,” he says. “A year and a half ago we started thinking about how we could get rid of the gas. That was a bit of a puzzle. We ended up with infrared panels.”
Now there are infrared panels in his living room, kitchen and bathroom. These panels work on electricity and radiate heat with which he heats his rooms. And if that’s not enough, its great asset hangs above where the central heating boiler used to be. “This is an electric 120-litre water heater,” Leo points out. “For when it’s really cold and the infrared panels just won’t make it.”
“It’s just the combination of all these systems that works for our home.”
The hot water at 70 degrees that comes out of the boiler then goes through its radiators. Such a boiler is often used as a hot water supply in places where there is no central heating boiler. Consider, for example, flats with block heating. But Leo has adapted the boiler in such a way that it not only provides the hot water, but is also connected to his radiators.
“I built this together with my sons-in-law. We had a lot of fun making it,” says Burgers. And it’s great that it works too. It’s not difficult to make either. You can buy all the parts you need separately.”
It is especially much cheaper than a heat pump. “This whole system together with the infrared panels cost me about 2500 euros.” But Leo already had fourteen solar panels on the roof and his house is already very well insulated. “It’s just the combination of all these systems that works for our home.”
By putting it together himself, Leo also takes a risk. “If something doesn’t work properly, I can’t rely on a company to fix it for me.”
“Anyone can do this.”
And Leo keeps emphasizing that throughout the conversation. That this works for his house and in his situation. “It’s about thinking about how you’re going about it and seeing if you want to adjust things in your life.” For example, Leo has a dynamic energy contract. He pays the electricity price as it is at that moment. “With all those electrical appliances, we lost 120 euros in the most expensive month so far. But last month our bill was only 25 cents.”
For example, Leo is one of the people in Escharen who have already gotten rid of the gas. The municipality of Land van Cuijk recently announced that they have started talks with the villages of Maashees and Escharen to see how they can become natural gas-free. Together with the villages, this should ultimately result in a plan.
“Anyone can do this, I think,” says Leo. You have to stand behind it. I don’t think it can be done in every home like I did. But I want to encourage everyone to start looking into how you can go about it.”
