Stay Warm on Groningen Terraces This Winter with New Green Heating Solutions
Stay Warm on Groningen Terraces This Winter with New Green Heating Solutions
Subsidy encourages cafes and restaurants to replace patio heaters with eco-friendly heating cushions and blankets.
The city of Groningen is working to become more sustainable by replacing traditional patio heaters with energy-efficient alternatives. Over the past year, there has been good progress, and the city has introduced new plans to help local businesses make the switch to greener options.
Last year, the city announced its goal to get rid of non-sustainable patio heaters, especially gas heaters, which were seen as wasteful and bad for the environment. Alderman Carine Bloemhoff led the effort, stressing that action is needed to address climate change. “We shouldn’t be heating for no reason,” Bloemhoff said, encouraging business owners to use eco-friendly options like blankets or heating cushions.
To help with this change, the city offered financial support, covering half the cost for businesses that wanted to switch to greener options. Initially, 30,000 euros were set aside for this program, but due to high interest from businesses, the amount was increased to 115,000 euros. The goal was to replace old heaters with energy-saving cushions and blankets.
However, the plan has had some unexpected effects. Some businesses that didn’t have heaters before have used the subsidy to add heated terraces for the first time. For example, daytime café Pernikkel and tapas bar Don Juan installed heating cushions to make their terraces more comfortable during cold months, even though they hadn’t used heaters before. This has raised concerns that energy use could go up instead of down.
Despite this, many businesses are happy to join the sustainability effort. Bistro Bommen Berend was the first to receive the subsidy, getting 4,500 euros to buy heating cushions for their terrace. Owners Jinko Wijbenga and Ilse Dammer were excited about the change, saying the cushions provide a green solution without the need for traditional heaters, which lose heat quickly in windy weather.
While the move toward eco-friendly terrace heating is underway, the city has not yet set a final date for banning traditional patio heaters. For now, the focus is on encouraging businesses to switch voluntarily with the help of subsidies. The city’s long-term goal is to create a greener and more sustainable Groningen, one heating cushion at a time.