While it’s been required by law since 1993, a large proportion of Dutch companies simply aren’t bothered to say whether or not they are taking energy-saving measures.
Why? Because Dutch companies still aren’t totally complying with reducing their energy consumption even though this obligation has been reinforced throughout recent years.
So Watt are they thinking? ⚡️
No clear information
While Dutch law requires companies to take all necessary measures to reduce their energy consumption, companies aren’t being clear about whether or not they’re actually doing this, reports NU. 🤔
In 2019, it became mandatory for companies to share details about their compliance with the necessary energy-saving measures.
However, The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend) holds that one in three companies have yet to complete the form, three years after it became mandatory.
On the bright side, 60,000 companies have filled out this form. Still, environmental services can’t solely rely on their estimates! It’s quite hard for these services to get the information they need.
Why is this information not enough?
The energy companies gather data on electricity and gas use but cannot share it for privacy reasons. This means that environmental services have to rely on the public information put out by the businesses themselves.
The result? There’s a big chance that those who eventually make it on the green-list of energy-saving companies are wrongly put there!
The Haaglanden Environment Agency’s Jeffrey Kruis reported that around 30 to 40% of companies they are in touch with do not necessarily meet the requirements. 🙄
What will be done about it?
The Dutch cabinet is still on the path to save more energy and plans to apply the measures to many more companies, starting in 2023.
Hopefully, this means it’s only a matter of time before stricter regulations on energy consumption come and pull these companies out from their hiding!
Do you think this will help energy consumption in the Netherlands go down? Tell us in the comments!
