Advance on energy costs
In 2022, Woonbedrijf / Vestide was fortunate enough to be able to use reduced prices due to fixed energy contracts. For that reason, rising energy prices had little effect on your service costs for 2022. For 2023, the prices have gone up, which means that the monthly advance on the energy bill has risen, too. You will be receiving a letter stating the new advance for your situation. The new amounts will be close to the current price cap.
Are you unable to pay your rent due to the rising energy costs?
Please contact us. Did you examine all possibilities to reduce your energy usage? In that case we might be able to reduce your advance. The amount will never be lower than the previous amount. Note: you will always pay for your actual usage. That is why we want to avoid putting the advance on a level that is too low. We are available to help you with your questions.
Reducing the energy advance is no long term solution. You can also ask the municipality for guidance in this situation. In case of financial problems, WIJeindhoven might be able to help you with your situation. See www.wijeindhoven.nl or call 040 238 89 98 for more information.
International Students
For international students, the same guidelines apply as for Dutch students. For exchange students, who are staying for a limited time, these guidelines don’t apply.
The energy prices don’t influence the ‘all-in price’ for exchange students as they pay a fixed amount. This group is not eligible for any compensation scheme.
Energy compensation for 2022
In 2022, citizens received an energy compensation of €190 in November and December. This did not apply to students!
In the meantime, the government decided to grant the energy compensation to students as well. At the moment it is not determined if the amount is the same for students in independent vs shared accommodation. The how and when the amount is compensated is also not set yet.
Energy cap
Because of the introduced energy cap, there is no energy compensation scheme for 2023. Read more about this here.
Energy surcharge 2023
For 2023, there will be a energy surcharge. Details on the amount, the conditions for students and how these amounts will be distributed are not clear yet. We hope that the government will give us more clarity before February 23rd. We will share it here, once there is more information available.
Measures to cut energy consumption
Reducing your energy consumption is now more important than ever. We improve our buildings with low energy labels and high energy consumption. In recent years, we have improved a lot of properties by adding improved isolation for instance. Together with our service partners, we will me renovating a lot more homes in the upcoming years. Unfortunately we can not do this all at once. This work takes time.
The cheapest energy is the energy not used
Think about this and ask yourself what you can do to reduce your energy consumption. Perhaps turning down the heating or taking short showers. These actions might seem obvious, but they do save the most energy. You can also ask your municipality about energy saving possibilities like energy boxes. Below is a list of actions and tips from the city of Eindhoven.
- An energy-efficient (rental) home (translate with Google)
- Free energy advice and a box of energy-saving products worth €168 (translate with Google)
- Collective health insurance municipal policy
- The Eindhovense handyman carries out small energy-saving measures in people's homes free of charge
Do not turn off your gas, CV or boiler
Some tenants do this to save on energy costs. Without gas (so without heating) your house could become humid. This can cause the growth of fungus, mold and mites. In wintertime, plumbing pipes can freeze and burst, which makes the situation even less bearable. We recommend leaving the heating on at, at least 12 degrees. Don’t close the radiator knobs completely during winter, but turn them to anti freeze or setting 1.
Turning of the water boiler can result in a legionella infestation
You can get really ill from this bacteria. This can happen when you inhale vapor or drops of water with a legionella infestation. Legionella grows in water between 20 and 50 degrees Celsius. We advise to leave the water boiler on 60 degrees or warmer. If the boiler has been shut off for a long period of time, it is advisable to ‘flush’ all water pipes and heat up the boiler.