week 42 Subsidies?
Subsidies (on what!!??)
An extra 62 million euros will be made available this year for those who want to make their home more sustainable. This concerns an extension of the so-called ISDE scheme, whereby money is available if you want to purchase a heat pump or solar boiler, for example. There is also money for insulating houses or a connection to the heat network.
228 million euros had already been made available for this scheme. But the subsidy is so popular that Minister for Climate and Energy Rob Jetten is now making an extra 62 million euros available. The extra money will be available from Tuesday.
228 million euros had already been made available for this scheme. But the subsidy is so popular that Minister for Climate and Energy Rob Jetten is now making an extra 62 million euros available. The extra money will be available from Tuesday.
On Monday night Janny and I went to a meeting of WEN (Wijnjewoude Energie Neutraal). Subsidies weren't mentioned, but the 12 month waiting times on just about everything - was discussed. So, I'm curious as to just how the subsidy money can be utilised.
Bright Ideas
It's usually me that comes up with the "bright ideas" and then I have to get Janny on board, knowing full well that she is a reliable guide as to whether it might work or not. A few get through...our Refugees and Care Farm being two notable examples.
The Agenda for the WEN meeting included the item "Postcoderoos" (Post Code Rose) - which applies to the solar panels on our roof. We own 40 of them and the rest (162) belong to other people in our postcode or neighbouring postcodes.
The initial attraction was to be a reduction in the BTW (GST/VAT) to be paid on electricity bills. BUT, the Government has decreased the amount of tax payable and so the expected benefit in owning the panels has all but evaporated.
At the meeting, a proposal was put forward that WEN (a) compensate the owners out of their own funds and (b) buy the panels back if the owners so desired.
Both motions were put to a vote and passed.
The meeting finished and we had a few beers and smaller table discussions...
Janny sought out a person in the know and dropped the bright idea that "we might want to buy all the solar panels... is that possible?". It raised a few eyebrows and caused a bit of uhmming and ahhing - but the general consensus was "yeah, probably, but we'll have to look into it".
If we do buy them, the purchase price would attract some of the aforementioned subsidy - we think/hope?
I'm also toying with the idea of setting up a Tesla Powerwall or similar - this will depend on the amount paid by the energy company - there is talk that these payments are to be reduced. Apparently, this is the reason that the house batteries haven't already become more popular i.e. people are/were getting paid enough for their own production. IKEA are selling house battery systems in Belgium!
My "thing" at the moment is trying to set Janny up for her retirement. This idea and a few extra apartments fall into this category...but I am hopeless at looking too far ahead. Too busy doing the "now" things, or at least trying to. That's why the waiting times are so frustrating, I suppose.
I'm still waiting for a reply from the Local Government about refugees using one of our apartments...this would be refugees who have already attained the qualification of "status holders".(ie. they have the right to live here and so come under local government jurisdiction).
I also wrote an email to the main body for refugees - offering the apartment to non-status holders - ie perhaps some of those that have been sleeping outside the main reception centre in Ter Apel?.
I haven't even had a reply or acknowledgement yet.
Ben says not to expect too much from "them" (the Government civil servants).
Ivermectin
Health ministry inspectors have fined 16 family doctors for prescribing drugs not registered to treat Covid 19 to coronavirus patients. The highest fine, €13,000, was handed down to a doctor who wrote out 150 prescriptions for the drugs – the anti-parasitic Ivermectin and the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, the inspectorate said on Monday.
Hydroxychloroquine was given to very sick patients at the start of the pandemic but its use was stopped in June 2020 after it was shown to make no difference to patients.
Nevertheless, several doctors continued to prescribe the drug. Ivermectin is regarded as a treatment for coronavirus by anti-vaxxers and was touted as a cure by far right MP Thierry Baudet. (This is the Trump wannabe - almost probably just as vile - he has just been suspended in parliament "for failing to declare" his business activity - Owner/Director of a company that publishes his books! - unfortunately, the suspension just gives him more publicity).
ODD SPOT
Destroyed speed cameras have been found in Sweden for months, writes the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet . The Swedish government suspects that Russia is using the flash equipment in drones that the country is deploying during the war in Ukraine. According to local media, camera equipment was stolen from two speed cameras in an area north of Stockholm on Wednesday.
The destroyed speed cameras cost Sweden a lot of money. Per speed camera, it would be a damage amount of about 250,000 Swedish kronor (more than 22,700 euros).
The sun at 0815 hours
Sometimes it really is the best part of the day - from now on, the sun barely gets above the tree-line at the front of our house.
Autumn Cleaning
Every few years (or so it seems) we get the urge to clean "everything"...so, all the floors in the day work area have been scrubbed and (water) vacuumed.
As often happens, I was transported back in time to my first day in the Fire Service - having to learn how to use the scrubber on the polished fire station floors!
I also remember in a good way that the Station Officer told us (the recruits) that we are "nothing but glorified cleaners". Ha! It turned out not to be true of course, but I was a young and impressionable 18 year old - funny how some things just stay with you.
The new cleaning lady did all the dormitories - and now I have to think about repainting the floor, or more likely, levelling it and laying some sort of vinyl flooring.
(added to the ever-growing list of things to do).
Firewood
We've done all that can be managed with the electric chainsaw...
The peak of bird migration falls in October. Finches, starlings, meadow pipits, redwings, white-fronted geese, lapwings, black-headed gulls, barn swallows, cormorants, skylarks, song thrushes and much more . They go on the wings by the millions. But there are birds that leave much earlier.
Geese...
And so, the Official opening last night, two and a half years later...
The floor show was done by a couple of kids from the local gymnastics club. They are actually very good and compete successfully in European and International competitions. They are twins.
The unexpected highlight of the evening was a medal presentation to a married couple...for their services to Wijnjewoude over many years... (apparently, it requires a mountain of research to gather all the information - given that it isn't done for recognition at the time).
The Order of Orange-Nassau is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for society.”
Finally! Opening the Swingel
The Official opening (after a lot of alterations) was supposed to be in March, 2020.
Covid intervened and there has been very restricted use since then. In the interim, it was discovered that the floor had "concrete cancer" and it all had to be ripped out. So came another round of alterations, including a much enlarged kitchen which is now also going to be the "local takeaway", with the closure of the village pub.
Even I had to help with assembling and placing a few shelves for Ikea plants.
And so, the Official opening last night, two and a half years later...
There was a dinner for the volunteers (and their other halves), a few speeches, a bit of a floor show AND a presentation by the Mayor of Opsterland (our local government area).
The floor show was done by a couple of kids from the local gymnastics club. They are actually very good and compete successfully in European and International competitions. They are twins.
The unexpected highlight of the evening was a medal presentation to a married couple...for their services to Wijnjewoude over many years... (apparently, it requires a mountain of research to gather all the information - given that it isn't done for recognition at the time).
The ladies version has the horizontal ribbon.
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