Student housing association Duwo: ‘Service fees will increase by €80 a month in January’
Housing corporation Duwo has to make a new energy deal, and tenants will notice. The students who rent from Duwo will have to reckon with higher service fees, estimated at €80.
So far, students who rent from Duwo have not noticed rising energy bills. This is because the housing corporation has a long-term contract with Greenchoice that has kept prices low up until now.
But that is about to change. ‘In January we have bad news for students,’ says spokesman Gijsbert Mul. That’s when the contract expires and there will be new prices. Duwo is now trying to gain insight into approximately how high the price increase will be per complex and dwelling. Some complexes have solar panels, for example.
According to Mul, much depends on the energy prices in December and January, but a rough estimate is that students will have to pay €80 extra per month on average. That's almost a €1,000 per year. ‘I expect that we will be able to let each individual student know how large the price increase will be about a month before the new contract comes into effect. Until then, we can only speak in general terms. The exact increase depends on how the market develops.’
To lighten the burden, Duwo thinks that students should also be able to claim the one-time energy allowance from the government. Says Mul: ‘We think this compensation is only logical.’ As of yet, students are not entitled to the €1,300 allowance, which is intended for low-income households to compensate for the high prices. Student union Asva is preparing a lawsuit on this.
Setting the heating at 18 degrees
In addition to energy prices, students' energy consumption also affects how much extra they will have to pay. ‘Students who shower 15 minutes a day or have the heating set at 24 degrees will pay more than students who shower briefly and have the heating set at 18 or 19 degrees.’
That's why Duwo is working on an action plan for energy-saving measures. ‘Ultimately, that's the most important way to cushion the effects of rising costs.’
Examples of initiatives vary from radiator foil to LED lighting, to the free advice of energy coaches who offer specific advice based on your own home on how best to save energy. ‘From experience we know that if you are conscious of your energy consumption, you can save 30 percent.’
Duwo sets the service fees for a year in January. At the end of the that time, students then receive a calculation of their actual consumption and the difference is either deducted from or added to their bill.
