For homeowners, hollow wall insulation just gets easier. So far, a long and expensive investigation had to be done to find out if bats live in the space between the inner and outer wall. These animals are protected. In practice, inspection is poor or not at all and that’s not good for bats.

Flevoland is simplifying the rules. You can now insulate homes built before 1995 after a simple inspection by the Flevoland Landscape Department. In addition, there are some rules of the game.

When insulating the cavity wall, foam or granules are often sprayed into the interstitial space. If there are animals, they don’t stand a chance and die. “Now they are often the victims of confinement, but with the new rules they are no longer,” says Jeroen Reinhold of Flevoland’s Landscape Department. “We can easily estimate whether bats can live in a wall. If we think that’s the case, you can just isolate bats outside of the maternity period, which is the time when bats are born and are still lactating.” Reinhold also explains that the homeowner should also provide an alternative habitat for the bats. “This can be done by not insulating everything, but also by putting a bat box on the front. But for that you get a real box where the bat feels right at home. The pay of a few cents is in stark contrast to the thousands of euros you would otherwise have lost.” It’s for a thorough investigation,” says Reinhold.

Also watch out for birds
When insulating a home’s roof, the same rules apply as for bats, because house sparrows and house hops often live under roof tiles. You should not disturb these animals either. But it is now also allowed to insulate your roof after inspection by the Flevoland Landscape Department. If it is believed that there are birds, this should also be done outside the breeding period. Here too, you must provide an alternative, for example by attaching nest boxes to your wall

Bats pass through small slits

Search for rare species
With the new rules and support, the county wants to prevent too many living spaces for bats, birds and house sparrows from disappearing unnoticed. There will also be research into the habitats of rare species of bats, such as the multicolored bat, serotin bat, and bicolor bat. This is to better protect these species. In addition, the county will enter into discussions with municipalities and housing companies to take additional measures in their buildings.

Reynolds (right) gives an explanation to the homeowner