Third of Dutch can't cool their homes on hot days
Last year, 34 percent of households in the Netherlands said they could not cool their homes down on hot days. People living in rentals, flats, and older homes most often struggle to keep cool when thermometers climb, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.
55 percent of tenants living in private rentals and 46 percent of tenants living in social housing cannot cool their homes sufficiently on hot days. Homeowners struggle the least with this (24 percent).
Residents of flats and older, less well-insulated homes are also more likely to struggle with the heat. As low-income households more often live in these types of homes, they are also over-represented in the group of people finding it impossible to keep their homes cool on hot days - 47 percent, compared to around a quarter of higher-income households.
Most Netherlands residents (72 percent) open their windows at night to cool down. Over 60 percent said they kept windows or curtains closed during the day. More than half use a sunshade or roller shutters. And ten percent have air conditioning.
Air conditioning is much more common among homeowners (18 percent) than tenants (less than 5 percent). Fixed air conditioning systems are also more common outside the cities. 17 percent of households in non-metropolitan communities have fixed air conditioners, compared to 7 percent in very urban municipalities. “This is partly due to the fact that relatively many households in large cities live in rented accommodation. More households also live in a flat or apartment,” CBS said.
