A great deal of housing in Amsterdam runs on natural gas. In order to realise the 2050 plans to have Amsterdam running on alternative forms of energy, the municipality is offering up to 5.000 euros to homeowners who ditch natural gas and switch to another energy source.
Amsterdam made a “green deal” along with 30 other municipalities and grid operators, and announced In November 2016 that it wanted to be free from natural gas by 2050.
The city has been working with housing associations to achieve this, and in September, five million euros will be made available to fund subsidies for private citizens who switch to natural gas alternatives.
Homeowners generating their energy sustainably can apply for a subsidy for up to 8.000 euros per property.
Currently, around 328.000 properties still need to convert, 30.000 of these need to do so before 2021.
When transitioning to alternative sources of energy homeowners need to think about which source suits their property best, as this can vary in different parts of the city.
The most affordable source is the heating grid. This supplies properties with waste heat created by industrial processes.
For some parts of the city the heat grid may not be available. In these cases alternate forms such as heat pumps, infrared panels or electricity from solar panels are viable energy sources.
Luckily, Amsterdam has one of the biggest heat grids in the Netherlands, with the ability to supply around 325.000 properties with heat.
Those buying a house should take into consideration the plans in Amsterdam to become natural gas free by 2050, and the subsidies available. New build properties will no longer have a gas connection.