The VVD wants the government to investigate whether homes can be reconnected to the gas grid. “There is a housing crisis and we must act accordingly,” MP Jurgen Nobel said during a debate.
Nobel argued that the shift away from natural gas in new-build homes is adding pressure to the electricity grid. He said this could slow down housing construction. New homes without natural gas connections have been the norm since 2018.
D66 MP Robin van Leijen reacted with surprise to Nobel’s proposal. He pointed to a European directive aimed at making buildings more sustainable. “The cabinet in which Mr Nobel served agreed to that,” Van Leijen said. Nobel served as State Secretary for Participation and Integration in the previous cabinet.
In 2018, both D66 and the VVD supported a faster phase-out of mandatory gas connections for new homes. The coalition agreement that the two parties concluded this year with the CDA states: “We prioritise making homes more sustainable and thus ensure that energy bills remain affordable.”
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
