Students living at the Uithof in Utrecht will have to pay five times more for rising energy costs next year — and while all households in the Netherlands are counting on an energy allowance, those in the Uithof can’t. 💰
Students at the Uithof now pay about €25 per month for energy bills, and this is expected to increase by fivefold to €125 per month in 2023.
To make matters worse, they can’t rely on the government or municipality’s support this time.
It’s petition time
Naturally, they’ve started a petition. “As poor students, we don’t get any compensation or discount. A petition feels like the only way to hold the municipality accountable”, Jelmer Witteveen, one of the initiators of the petition, tells AD.
Why the intense price hike?
The buildings on the Uithof are heated by a gas-fired heat network from Utrecht University — and before the Russo-Ukrainian War took effect, the university purchased gas in Ukraine.
This contract will expire on January 1, 2023 — and because of this, residents of the Uithof will see a significant increase in energy bills of about €100 per month.
To give you a better picture, that’s a quarter of the rent costs a student typically pays. 🤦
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This new Dutch energy subsidy that’s set to help folks battle the upcoming price hikes only applies to those with an energy contract.
Since woners in the Uithof don’t have their own pacts, they’ll be excluded from the subsidy and its sweet benefits. 😢
There’s a bright side… and its name is special assistance
The municipality of Utrecht indicated that students who run into money troubles can claim compensation from the special social assistance scheme — but it only applies to those who truly need it.
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“The special assistance is really intended as a last safety net and requires customisation. It differs per person whether or not you can claim it,” a spokesperson for the municipality, Marieke Ruijgrok, tells AD.
That being said, she calls on all students to report to the municipality if they need the scheme. From then, officials will determine if they’re entitled to it.
What do you think about this situation? Tell us in the comments below! 👇