Many student accommodations are facing soaring energy bills (photo by Joris Schaap). In early December, student housing provider Idealis warned of an extreme increase in energy costs as of January 2023. Ingrid Hijman, head of the Student Service Centre, is very concerned. “Students are not well off to start with, and so an extra hundred euros a month is really a lot of money. And at the moment, students are often unable to claim the energy allowance and benefit from the energy price cap.”
On average, Idealis’ tenants will have to pay an additional €71 per month for their energy, but in the ‘star flats’ that amount will be closer to €100, says Hijman. “Students often chose to live in those big flats because they were cheaper, but it is precisely these flats that will soon have to pay much higher energy bills. Because these flats are connected to a district heating network, they do not qualify for the energy cap. That’s why those prices have gone up so much.”
Hijman is particularly concerned about the fate of international students. “They have often worked out precisely how much money they need to live and study here. Now they are suddenly faced with an additional €100 a month. Dutch students can usually borrow more money. That’s not an attractive prospect either, but international students often don’t even have that option. Where are they going to find the money?”
Lobbying
Both WUR and Idealis are lobbying both locally and at the national level to ensure students are not left to fend for themselves and can claim the energy price cap and energy allowance. Student dean Miranda van der Slikke encourages students to investigate if they are entitled to a rental allowance or care benefit. Hijman also recommends looking into the Louise O. Fresco Fund. “This is an emergency fund that Louise established when she left us to help students who run into financial difficulties because of circumstances beyond their control. We are looking at starting a campaign to pour more money into that fund.”
All students who fall into financial difficulty can ask the fund for support, Hijman says. “But we can’t simply give €1000 to every WUR student. You have to be able to prove that you don’t have the money, are unable to borrow, and cannot take on more paid employment alongside your studies.”
Hijman is not afraid of being inundated with applications. “On the contrary, we hope that any student who needs it will be able to easily finds us.”
