Energy prices skyrockets in Belgium, citizens seeking ways to warm their homes

Europe: As the prices of energy are skyrocketing in Belgium, the residents are seeking other ways to warm their homes ahead of the winter. The demand for heat pumps has increased significantly, but so has the sale of less ecological alternatives such as fireplaces as well as wood stoves.s

In the first half of 2022, about 13,700 heat pumps were sold, then 17,000 in the whole last year, as per the sources. Most popular are those that extract heat from the air (10,000 units), but the largest increase was highlighted for pumps that extract heat from groundwater (3,700 units in the first half of 2022, compared to 3,850 in all of 2021).

The energy expert Dorien Aerts mentioned in the statement, “Whether the high gas prices are causing more individuals to discard their gas boilers. That effect will probably not to felt until next year.”

She added to the statement that she suspects the advance is mainly due to the installation of heat pumps in newly-built homes.

Along with this, she stated, “About three in ten people opted for this until recently. Which is still low because installing a heat pump in a newly-built house should be a no-brainer.”

Fireplaces and wood stoves have also started gaining in popularity again, as per manufacturers, while running at full capacity and still struggling to keep up with demand.

The sales and marketing manager at the Belgian fireplace and stove manufacturer Dovre, Frederik De Belder, asserted, “It is just as busy now as in winter. We see an enormous increase in demand, both in the Benelux and beyond.”

Ecologically, it is not good news to use wood and pellet stoves to heat your home in the winter.

Bernard De Potter, the spokesperson for the Flemish Environment Agency, shared that “Wood burning has a very negative effect on air quality. For example, four important substances are released during wood combustion: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), PAHs, with the carcinogenic benzo(a)pyrene, and dioxins.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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