Gas bills of 650 euros per month. People are no longer surprised by this, but this creates a run for alternatives. Because everyone wants to get that bill down. And they notice that at installation companies, because it is very busy there.
They also notice this at cooling technology company Nijmeijer Koelt in Hoogeveen. “We’ve always had heat pumps and air conditioners, but you notice that the demand is increasing due to the current situation in the world,” says director Chéry Wortelboer. By that situation he means the war in Ukraine. As a result, gas prices have risen sharply in the past six months.
According to Wortelboer, he gets all kinds of questions about alternatives to gas. “You notice that everyone is working on alternative energy sources. Everyone wants to get rid of gas, so people are going to look at air conditioning or heat pumps. Because an air conditioning is actually a very small heat pump. I compare it with a refrigerator. It is warm from the outside and from cold inside, that is also the principle of a heat pump. It can cool and give off heat.”
The telephone at the Drents Energieloket is also red-hot with questions from people, says Jelte Sikkema. “It has certainly become busier. From the moment of requesting a quote to installation. There are waiting times everywhere. Also with us they are already there for people who want advice.”
According to Sikkema, people have several reasons to become more sustainable, but one is currently at the top. “The financial aspect, that’s what you hear the most at the moment. But there are various arguments for making it more sustainable. Some people want to get rid of Russian gas, others want to make it more sustainable. But lowering the gas bill, that is now the main reason.”
(Text continues below the video)