Hengelo speeds up home insulation with bat tracking tech
Residents in Hengelo can soon insulate or renovate their homes faster and cheaper, thanks to a city-wide bat mapping project. By tracking bat colonies, the municipality avoids costly pre-renovation checks, protecting both wildlife and homeowners' wallets.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Hengelo, Overijssel |
| Method | Transmitters attached to bats to track roosting locations |
| Bats Found | 108 in a single chimney; 12 colonies of common pipistrelles |
| Other Species Found | Daubenton’s bats, noctules, brown long-eared bats |
| Cost Savings | Eliminates need for individual bat surveys per property |
| Timeline | Comprehensive survey starts in 2026; full implementation by 2027 |
| Municipal Goal | Faster home insulation/renovation while protecting biodiversity |
The municipality of Hengelo is responsible for balancing urban development with nature conservation. This initiative demonstrates how local governments can streamline housing sustainability efforts while complying with biodiversity protection laws.
Read the full translated article below
Faster insulation through transmitters on bats
Experimental bat research
Ecologists and bat enthusiasts are mapping various bat colonies in Hengelo. This is being done, among other things, by catching bats in a net, fitting the creatures with a small transmitter, and then tracking where they make their home. In addition, a comprehensive survey will begin next year to map bat locations down to the neighborhood and sometimes even the street.
By mapping where the bats live, protected colonies in buildings can be safeguarded more effectively. “Once you’ve found the roosts in a neighborhood, other buildings can be more easily insulated or renovated. That saves time and money,” says Mark Hoksberg, the city ecologist of Hengelo.
Transmitters
The bats are caught in the evening twilight using a so-called “mist net.” This is set up in an area where the animals come to hunt for insects. A specialist then attaches a tiny transmitter to their backs and releases the bat. The animal flies back to its colony at night, revealing its roosting location. In the following days, the researchers return at dusk to see how many bats “fly out.” Tracking the released bat can take a week or two. After that, the battery is dead and/or the transmitter falls off.
Mapping
Residents who want to insulate or renovate their homes previously had to have the space checked in advance to see if bats were nesting in the cavity wall (or other hollow spaces). This is expensive and time-consuming. Ecologists would often take a look at the property at dusk to determine whether bats were present. The municipality of Hengelo wants to map the entire city at once. This is much more efficient and, per home, also much cheaper. This additional comprehensive survey will begin next year. Ecologists will then take to the streets by bike in the evenings and at night to conduct research. From 2027, bat surveys will usually no longer be necessary when residents or businesses want to maintain, insulate, renovate, or demolish their properties. This accelerates home construction and sustainability efforts while protecting biodiversity.
108 bats
In Hengelo, the number of bats found in colonies over the past few weeks has ranged from several dozen to 108 bats. “Those 108 were in a chimney of a home. The resident had never noticed them.” In Hengelo and Beckum, 12 colonies of common pipistrelles have already been found during this survey. Particularly noteworthy are the colonies of Daubenton’s bats, three colonies of noctules, and three colonies of brown long-eared bats that have been discovered. The transmitter-based research will continue until the end of this week.