No gas connection for new homes from next year, Dutch construction association calls

Dutch construction trade association NVB wants all new homes built from next year to be built without a connection to the gas network. The association hopes that this will keep the playing field equal for all builders, chairman Piet Adema said to AD. 

An exception should be made for houses for which contracts have already been signed, he added. 

Building a house without a boiler is better for the environment, but much more expensive. By banning a gas connection outright, the government can make sure that construction companies are not tempted to opt for cheaper houses with central heating boilers, Adema said. "It would otherwise be tempting to opt for a gas connection."

This is the second call from the industry itself to start getting rid of central heating boilers. Last month a broad coalition of, among others, installers and energy companies called for central heating boilers to be phased out within three years.