Student groups, environmental activists want ban on single-glazed windows

The national student union LSVb joined environmental organizations Natuur & Milieu and Jonge Klimaatbeweging in an appeal to the Cabinet to ban the use of single-glazed windows in rented homes. Student homes in particular use windows comprised of one layer of glass, forcing them to deal with higher energy bills, the organizations said.

The groups want to draw attention to the problem with a manifesto they planned to deliver to the Tweede Kamer on Tuesday.

About 80,000 students live in a house with single glazed windows, according to a study by Natuur & Milieu. “A house with single glazing means draft, moisture, a sky-high energy bill and it is also not safe,” said Dorien Ackerman of Natuur & Milieu. “Moreover, as a tenant, you can’t make any changes to that at all.”

The three organizations are therefore pleading with Housing Minister Hugo de Jonge to ban single-glazing windows in rental housing from 2029. In the short term, they also want students who live in a house with single glazing to get a reduction in rent.

In the coming months, Natuur & Milieu, the Jonge Klimaatbeweging and the LSVb will continue to campaign on the issue to draw attention to it.