Flemish Care Homes Seek Higher Rates for AC Investments

Private residential care centers in Flanders are requesting permission to raise their daily rates to fund investments in cooling systems, arguing that air conditioning has become a necessity rather than a luxury in an era of intensifying heatwaves. The request, submitted by the umbrella organization Vlozo (Vlaams Onafhankelijk Zorgnetwerk), comes just weeks after a devastating June heatwave that caused widespread mortality across Belgium.

Vlozo, which represents over 500 private elderly care organizations serving more than 80,000 residents in Flanders and Brussels, argues that current regulations — which only allow inflation-based indexation of daily rates, not discretionary increases — leave them unable to finance essential climate adaptation measures. “The aging wave combined with climate change means we should no longer view air conditioning as a luxury,” Candice De Windt, CEO of Vlozo, told VRT NWS. “We must make it standard to properly address the challenges.”

A Deadly Heatwave as a Wake-Up Call

Belgium experienced one of its most severe heatwaves on record from June 18 to June 29, 2026. According to the Risk Management Group of the Federal Public Service (FOD) Health, the 12-day period resulted in 1,222 excess deaths, with those aged 85 and older disproportionately affected. The health institute Sciensano reported an even higher toll — approximately 2,000 excess deaths — when extending the analysis to include the days immediately following the heatwave, as elevated mortality persisted even after temperatures dropped. June 27 was the deadliest single day of the heatwave: Statbel recorded 651 deaths, making it the second deadliest day of the 21st century in Belgium, behind only April 10, 2020, at the peak of the first COVID-19 wave.

Many care home buildings are outdated and ill-equipped for extreme heat. Dirk Lips, a care home spokesperson, noted that in older facilities, staff are “making do with mobile air conditioners” — a temporary solution the sector considers insufficient for the long term. The mortality risk also persists after heatwaves end: funeral director Patrick Petit of PM Funeral Services observed that “many people think the danger has passed when the heatwave is over. But we see on the ground that the increased mortality continues for days.”

The Regulatory Barrier

Under Flemish regulations, care homes cannot freely adjust their daily rates. As of May 2025, the weighted average daily rate stood at €74.52 — approximately €3 higher than the previous year, according to the Flemish Department of Care (Departement Zorg). This rate covers two components: a care portion subsidized by the Flemish government and a living and accommodation portion paid directly by residents. Cooling infrastructure investments fall under the accommodation component, which is not covered by care subsidies.

“We are requesting to have those investments factored into the daily rate. In Flanders, the daily rate is set in concrete,” De Windt said. “If I want to install a boiler or air conditioning, there are costs associated with that, which is why we ask for more room to increase the daily rate.”

Government Treads Carefully

Flemish Minister of Welfare Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) has firmly rejected the idea of unrestricted rate increases. “Daily rates cannot simply be raised. We strictly monitor that,” Gennez said, describing affordability as an “absolute priority” for the Flemish government.

However, Gennez acknowledged the urgent need for climate adaptation in care facilities and is exploring enhanced building subsidies as an alternative. “We are now investigating how we can better encourage and support heat-resistant and climate-robust construction and renovation within those building subsidies,” she explained. For facilities where major renovations are impractical, Gennez is considering support for smaller measures such as mobile air conditioners and sun shading.

The Broader Challenge

The debate reflects a fundamental policy tension between affordability and quality in elderly care — a challenge amplified by climate change. The Flemish government tightly regulates daily rates to protect residents from arbitrary price increases, but this regulatory framework may not have anticipated the scale of investment now required for climate adaptation.

The private care sector has been pressing the government for broader reforms. In November 2025, Vlozo published an open letter to Minister Gennez titled “Wat is’t plan?” (“What’s the plan?”), expressing concerns about the future of elderly care in Flanders. The June 2026 heatwave has added new urgency to those concerns.

What to Watch For

The Flemish government’s decision on whether to expand building subsidies — and on what timeline — will be critical. Key questions remain: Will public care homes join the private sector’s call for regulatory flexibility? How will any changes to the daily rate system affect the roughly 80,000 current residents and their families? And can Belgium’s elderly care infrastructure adapt quickly enough to withstand the next heatwave?