This summer, Kathryn Catalina Moe moved into a vacation home. Now she wants wood and propane for her birthday.
– Well, now is the worst time to announce that you’re going to a vacation home. I don’t get electricity support, says Kathryn Catalina Moe.
After years of living in a 27-square-meter one-room apartment in Sletten, Bergen, she realized she and her dog needed more space.
When a 110-square-meter vacation home appeared in Nestun, just outside the city center, with a monthly rent of NOK 9,000, he jumped at the chance and moved in on July 1.
The electricity bill then reached almost NOK 3,000. That’s more than she paid for the electricity in the studio apartment.
– Now I sit in the living room with woolen underwear, woolen socks and slippers and always follow the application of Fjordkraft, says Mo.
The hundred sacks of firewood she had bought were a small consolation. She is afraid of winter.
Consumes only 315 kWt
Mo, who has just graduated and works in the municipality, fears an electricity bill of NOK 5,000, bringing the total rent and electricity costs to NOK 14,000.
It can “bite” the economy, he says:
– If I receive an electricity bill of more than NOK 3,000, I must use a credit card. It bores me terribly.
Hence energy conservation has become an important part of daily life. In July he used 1,000 kWh, and in September he reduced his consumption to 315 kWh. However the bill came to over NOK 2,000.
– I turn off all heat and only use a fireplace or propane. It’s so cold in the bathroom that I get dressed in the morning, and I don’t have any lights on except one in the living room, and Mo says:
– You can’t use less electricity without camping in the garden.
The contract for the holiday home runs until July next year. He has rented a one room flat with electricity support.
– I’m sorry now, but I don’t want to kick someone out because I’m cold. He says then life will be bad for both of us.
When winter comes, you need to use more electricity to keep the water from freezing and the bathroom tiles from rotting.
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Applies to houses only
The government currently covers 90 percent of households with an average electricity bill of over 70 øre. However, this does not apply to holiday homes.
FRP is the only party He argued that electricity should be provided to holiday homes. When VG previously asked the government if this was something they wanted to consider, Oil and Energy Minister Terje Ösland said they would prioritize families.
– The government is eager to help where it is most needed. Although many people have access to a cabin, we believe priority should be given to home use as it is a necessity, he said. Earlier in October, Iceland.
As of today, fewer than 10,000 people are registered at an address with holiday home status, according to the National Register of Citizens VG. Municipalities are the ones who report it, and they have different procedures for how often they update the information.
When VG again asks the government about support for holiday homes and the possibility of a utility-based scheme, at Moi’s discretion, they refer to the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RME).
– In its practice, the RME has allowed families who have received permission to live in a holiday home to receive permanent support, writes Henrik Hoel, communications adviser at the Ministry of Oil and Energy, in an email to VG.
To receive this support, the homeowner must apply to the municipality for a change of use permit, says Torfinn Jonasen, division manager at RME.
If this change is approved, the vacation home is considered a regular home.
– The Electricity Subsidy Scheme is applicable to houses and households only. There is no electricity subsidy for residents of holiday homes. If you live permanently in a vacation home and want electricity support, you’ll need to apply to the municipality to change the utility permit, which is often not “straightforward,” says Jonassen.
Need wood and propane
The 32-year-old wants an easy application-based scheme similar to the schemes for getting corona support, so that people living in temporary holiday homes can also get electricity support.
Without the support of the government, he fears that the economy will become difficult.
– Moe says that if I don’t get help, I’ll end up with a lot of unpaid bills in the spring.
For her 33rd birthday on October 28, she already knows what she wants:
– On the wish list I wrote firewood and propane.
PSST! Even if prices go up and interest rates rise, you could save several thousand Swedish kroner on your mortgage a month. Here are the best tricks of Holgeir Quatsheim – and three moves everyone should be making (+).
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