NETHERLANDS: HOUSING ACT ENERGY-SAVING MEASURES The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. G/TBT/Notif. 96.130. 1. Member to Agreement Notifying: NETHERLANDS. If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2): 2. Agency responsible: Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification can be indicated if different from above: 3. Notified under Article 2.9.2. 4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Allows the enforcement of technical energy-saving measures (thermal insulation and high-efficiency heating boilers) for existing houses, residential buildings and non-residential buildings which are heated in order to be used by people. 5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Act Amending the Housing Act with Regard to Instructions and Energy-Saving Measures. 6. Description of content: The bill grants authority to municipal executives (the Burgomaster and Aldermen) to issue an order to the owner of a house or his representative, residential building or non-residential building which is heated in order to be used by people, to undertake measures to the house, an instruction to undertake energy-saving measures. This relates to the thermal insulation of external partitions (outside walls and roof) and the ground floor, and the replacement of existing heating boilers, if these are at least 10 years old, with a high-efficiency heating boiler. An order is only issued after it has been established that there are no circumstances prevailing which oblige the administrative body to waive the issue of the order and that the owner or person otherwise authorized to undertake the measures is not prepared to do so voluntarily. 7. Objective and rationale: As a result of specified energy-saving measures this amendment to the Act aims to achieve (a higher degree of) energy saving and, with it, a reduction in CO2 emissions. 8. Relevant documents: (a) Articles 13 et seq., of the Housing Act; (b) Building order. 9. Proposed date of adoption: 1 January 1997. Proposed date of entry into force: N/A. 10. Final date for comments: 27 June 1996. (151)

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