New homes in NL to be built without gas connection from this year

The Dutch government wants to start building new houses without a connection to the gas network starting this year.

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, already agreed that new homes should not be connected to the gas network. But the government thinks that this can be started sooner than the four years planned. On Thursday the coalition wants to arrange that average new homes are built without this connection, RTL Nieuws reports.

Almost the entire Kamer is in favor of significantly reducing gas consumption. Both for the environment, and to spare Groningen from further fracking earthquakes. 

Currently Dutch homes are often heated with gas, and many newly built homes are delivered with a connection to the gas network. If the government has its way, this will change from this year. New residential buildings will only be connected to the gas network if there is no other way. For example, if heating the home with the heat network or heat pump systems is impossible or much more expensive.