About this story
This community heat story was developed by the Community Heat Working Group. It is designed to support conversations about community heat by focusing on people's questions, ambitions and shared future, rather than on technology alone. The story was developed as part of a project co-funded by the Province of South Holland.
You have lived here for years. You know your neighbours, greet each other in the street and feel at home in this community. But lately, you have noticed that something is changing. Energy bills keep rising, news about climate change causes concern, and you wonder what kind of world your children will inherit. You are not the only one asking these questions.
Throughout the neighbourhood, there are people just like you who care deeply about where they live and want to take matters into their own hands. You do not want to stand by powerless. You want to explore together what is possible. Why wait for others to provide solutions when you can take action yourselves?
You believe in fairness, freedom and the power of working together. The best outcome would be to achieve something as a community and leave something meaningful for the next generation: a green and pleasant neighbourhood where people feel safe and everyone plays a part. Because this is your neighbourhood, and you look after one another.
Imagine this: your neighbourhood has control over its own heating. Not because someone else arranged it for you, but because you explored the options together and made your own decisions.
Perhaps the solution is a collective heat network. Perhaps you insulate the homes in your street together. It could be a shared heat pump, or a combination of different solutions. You decide what works best, based on the needs of this neighbourhood, its residents and its streets.
In that future, people from across the community work together, regardless of political views, background or income. You have more control over your energy bills and a say in who benefits. You live comfortably in a greener neighbourhood, with stronger connections between residents and less loneliness.
The neighbourhood is not only warmer, but also healthier, more attractive and more vibrant. Children grow up in a place where residents are genuinely involved and determine the direction together. That is the future we are working towards: cooperative, local and affordable.
Your energy bill is high, and that feels unfair. But it is not a coincidence. In many neighbourhoods, heating is supplied by large companies through systems built decades ago, without residents having a say. Prices are determined elsewhere. Profits flow elsewhere. And you pay the bill.
Every winter, you pay for heating over which you have little control, supplied from far away and owned by someone else.
Natural gas is finite. Large heat networks often run on residual heat from the port, but that is not necessarily a long-term guarantee either. Unless we take action ourselves, we will remain dependent on the decisions of others.
In the years ahead, energy may become even more expensive, residents may have even less control, and communities may lose the ability to determine the pace of change themselves. Lower-income households will be affected most. The feeling of powerlessness will grow.
The solution starts in our own neighbourhood. We, the local energy cooperative, are residents who have been working with local partners for ten years. We are your neighbours. We understand what is happening in the community and what works in practice.
You can already see this in what we do. Our community solar roofs are generating energy, we help residents insulate their homes, and in several parts of the neighbourhood we are exploring opportunities for collective heating.
Together, we generate, share and manage energy locally. And we are not alone. More and more people in the Netherlands are choosing to organise their energy collectively, because they know that a neighbourhood can achieve more together than any individual can alone.
We understand that this can feel overwhelming. The energy transition is complex, and it is not always clear where to begin. But you do not have to work it all out by yourself. We organise the process, support the research and make sure everyone has the opportunity to take part.
It starts with one honest question: what is the best solution for our neighbourhood?
Within a year, we aim to have an answer. Together, we will investigate the most suitable approach: a heat network, collective insulation, a shared heat pump or a combination of solutions. The decision will be based on facts and shaped by the input of residents.
After that, we will begin building. Step by step, with transparency about costs and choices, with green improvements that also make the neighbourhood more attractive, and with opportunities for everyone to participate. Whether you want to contribute ideas, help make decisions or take practical action, there will be a role for you.
In ten years’ time, we want to live in a sustainable neighbourhood where residents have control over their own heating.
Join the exploration in your neighbourhood. Tell a friend about the initiative. Come to one of our meetings and discover how other neighbourhoods have approached this challenge.
The first steps have already been taken. Will you join us?