Fear of job losses at companies important for energy transition in the Netherlands

Many companies that are important for the energy transition because they deal with solar collectors, heat pumps, insulation measures, and heating networks are struggling and fear job losses. The industry associations Nederlandse Vereniging Duurzame Energie (NVDE), Holland Solar, Vereniging Warmtepompen, VENIN, and Stichting Warmtenetwerk report this. They point to the sharp drop in demand for sustainability measures.

According to a survey, three-quarters of companies fear job losses. “Hundreds of SMEs are at risk of losing expertise,” says NVDE Chairman Olof van der Gaag. “These employees want to continue working hard to make homes more comfortable and reduce energy bills. This would help to achieve the climate targets and become less dependent on natural gas from unreliable countries.”

The organizations claim that demand for sustainability measures in the built environment has fallen by up to 70 percent this year compared to last year. According to the industry, consumers are experiencing a “buffing policy” and are putting off making their homes more sustainable. The NVDE calls on the government to restore confidence and accelerate the energy transition. “The Climate and Energy Outlook of the Dutch Environment Agency has shown how urgently this is needed to achieve the climate targets,” says the association.

The NVDE also makes several proposals to turn the tide, such as prioritizing the sustainability of the homes of people living in energy poverty and promoting the self-use of electricity from solar panels.

“Let us prioritize making the homes of the 110,000 families living in energy poverty and receiving a contribution from the Emergency Energy Fund more sustainable. With the 1.8 billion euros that is now being set aside for a reduction in the natural gas tax for all households (saving everyone thirty euros per year), the homes of this target group can be made more sustainable,” the NVDE says.

According to the association, the problem could be solved with 15,000 euros per home which would halve the energy bill of these vulnerable households.

“Tens of thousands of professionals are ready to implement these measures. In other areas of the energy transition, such as grid operators or engineering, there are still many vacancies. However, additional implementation capacities are now available here. We need to make use of this and maintain it by getting to work as quickly as possible,” says the NVDE.