In warm temperatures we prefer to lie in the pool in the garden all day. Nothing is more cooling than that and, to be honest, at 28 degrees it is sometimes the only way to survive. Are you thinking about putting a swimming pool in the garden this year? Then the costs for your drinking water may be higher… Read more!
Also read: 8 Dutch customs that are very normal for us, but incomprehensible for foreigners
Swimming pool in the garden = higher costs
We all understand that when you put a (large) swimming pool in your garden or water your garden, you use more water and therefore have to pay more. This year, however, the story will be slightly different, because Vitens – the largest water company in the Netherlands – is considering increasing the costs for ‘comfort use’. This is evident from an interview between Vitens spokesperson Rick Dogger and De Telegraaf.
Comfort use
Vitens talks about comfort use, but what does that actually include? Comfort use is actually water that is not strictly necessary to use. Cooking, drinking, showering and flushing the toilet are basic uses. Things like watering the garden, or indeed setting up a swimming pool are called comfort use. Rick Dogger of Vitens says: “We are looking at how we can make so-called comfort use more expensive.”
Higher costs
How does that work then? Vitens plans to calculate a basic consumption for households that includes the basic usage. “Anything consumed on top of that will become more expensive.” That sounds pretty intense! Vitens does not yet know how much higher the costs will be.
Awareness of water use
The reason Vitens wants to implement this rule is to ‘tackle’ large consumers and make people aware of their water consumption. Nowadays, water companies are reaching the limits of water extraction, but the demand for water is also growing. That will eventually become a problem if more people don’t save on water.
Every summer we see plenty of reports of drought and water shortages, but many provinces do not allow water companies to produce more drinking water. The result is that savings will have to be made. “We hope that consumers will use less water for, for example, the garden if it becomes more expensive,” says Dogger. Not a bad idea and definitely something to think about!
