How cooperative heat and cooling systems are driving a fair and inclusive energy transition in the Dutch country
The MUSE DHC partner Energie Samen is committed to ensuring that everyone in the Netherlands can play an active role in the production of clean and affordable energy. Representing around 700 Dutch citizen energy initiatives, the cooperative supports local sustainable energy projects through advocacy, knowledge sharing, project development support, and financing.
Tom Evers, Project Manager at Energie Samen, shares how the Netherlands is fostering the development of district heating and cooling (DHC) networks and how MUSE DHC can contribute to strengthening this process.
Are DHC networks popular in the Netherlands?
In the Netherlands, district heating networks, and increasingly district heating and cooling (DHC), are still evolving as part of the energy system. Most households currently have a gas connection. However, large-scale heat networks have existed for decades, mainly in urban areas and often supplied by residual heat from industry, waste incineration, or gas-fired plants.
In recent years, the focus has shifted towards sustainable heat sources such as geothermal energy, aquathermal heat, wastewater heat, and large-scale heat pumps. At the same time, there is growing attention for smaller, local, and cooperative heat networks initiated and governed by residents. These initiatives represent a new state of the art, combining technical innovation with social and organisational innovation.
How can DHC networks help your country achieve climate neutrality?
The Netherlands aims to be climate neutral by 2050 and largely gas-free in the built environment by 2040. Individual solutions alone will not be sufficient to reach these targets, especially in existing neighbourhoods with diverse building types.
DHC networks allow heat and cold to be produced centrally and efficiently, using renewable and residual sources that are not feasible at the level of individual homes. They reduce pressure on the electricity grid, enable seasonal balancing, and make use of local energy sources such as water, sun, or wastewater. By decarbonising heating and cooling, one of the largest sources of CO₂ emissions, DHC networks are a key instrument for achieving climate neutrality in the Netherlands.
What challenges do you face in developing a DHC network?
Developing DHC networks involves technical, financial, organisational, and social challenges. Technically, networks must be designed to cope with peak demand on the coldest and hottest days, while remaining flexible for future developments. Financially, upfront investments are high, and business cases depend on the long-term participation of residents.
Organisationally, issues such as ownership, governance, regulation, and alignment with municipalities and housing corporations are complex. Socially, trust, transparency, and inclusion are essential: residents need to understand the choices, risks, and benefits, and feel that they retain control over their energy future.
Tell us about your DHC networks
The DHC networks we work with in the context of the project illustrate different local approaches:
- Buurtwarmte Houten focuses on collective heating and cooling solutions in several neighbourhoods (Gaarden, Hagen, Hoeven, and Weiden). Residents, supported by the municipality, are exploring a local source network based on water and solar energy, aiming for a flexible, future-proof, and locally governed system.
- Warm Westerkwartier (Culemborg) is a resident-led cooperative investigating a heat network using heat from treated wastewater that flows past the neighbourhood. Founded in 2024, the cooperative works with professionals, the municipality, and a housing corporation, and is currently in the development and design phase.
- Warm Assendorp (Zwolle) emerged from a broader neighbourhood process on sustainability, involving themes such as water, green space, and mobility. Through participatory methods like deep democracy and sociocracy, residents developed a shared vision and energy plan, leading to the establishment of a cooperative heat network initiative that is now expanding step by step.
Why is engaging with citizens key to success?
Heating and cooling infrastructure directly affects people’s homes, comfort, and monthly costs. Without meaningful citizen engagement, DHC projects risk resistance, low participation, or loss of trust. Engaging citizens from an early stage improves the quality of decisions, ensures solutions fit local needs, and strengthens long-term commitment.
In cooperative models, residents are not just consumers but co-owners and decision-makers. This increases acceptance, social cohesion, and democratic legitimacy, and helps ensure that the energy transition is fair and inclusive.
Why did you choose to be part of MUSE DHC?
We joined this project because we believe that the energy transition in the built environment requires both technical solutions and strong social organisation. DHC networks are not just infrastructure projects; they are collective learning processes.
Through this project, we expect to exchange knowledge, learn from international experiences, and further professionalise resident-led heat initiatives. We can offer partners practical experience from real-life case studies, insights into cooperative governance and citizen engagement, and lessons learned from working at the intersection of residents, municipalities, and technical experts. Together, we aim to contribute to scalable, socially embedded DHC solutions across Europe.