Insurance premiums for solar panels will be halved irreversibly next year, despite significant supply problems. Energy Minister Saturn Demir (N-VA) made this clear in the Flemish Parliament on Wednesday after a question from Robrecht Bothuyne (CD&V).
Anyone who installs solar panels this year and inspects them before December 31 can still get a premium of up to 1,500 euros. Next year, that will be halved to €750.
Bothin described this poor policy on Wednesday, because solar panels are the fastest way to lower the energy bill, and so many people are still making an effort to install them this year. However, the waiting times have become very long. “Up to eight months for reflectors and up to four months for panels,” Bothwin said on Wednesday. “Having half on January 1 would be particularly unfair to families who applied in the year the premium is expected.”
However, Minister Demir does not want to switch to a system in which the date of the application form is used to determine the premium, because, in her opinion, fraud occurred at the time of issuance of green energy certificates. “We have lists of companies that were cheated at that time,” she said.
Over-support
So the half is maintained on January 1st. “We are gradually giving up because we don’t want to fall into excessive subsidies,” Demir says. Experts say premiums are no longer necessary for profitability. It was also very clearly stated that the date of the examination determines the amount of the premium. Once we let go of the phasing out, we can also make sure that the higher support doesn’t end with the people, but with the installers, who simply adjust their prices upwards. Nor can that be the intention.”
Bothin’s reaction was disappointing: “According to the sector, there are about 50,000 Flemish who have already ordered the installation of solar panels and are counting on the promised installment. Because of Minister Demir’s hard-line approach, many of them risk losing half of their planned support. We hope the minister will correct this.”
See also: Turns out the smart energy meter isn’t that smart for twenty thousand families
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