Netherlands moves forward with plans to link residential PV to heating

The Netherlands will require building owners to adopt renewable energy, connect to local heating networks, or install heat pumps under its implementation of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD IV).

The Netherlands is developing a roadmap covering how it will make its buildings more energy efficient.

Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning Mona Keijzer, in a letter to the Dutch parliament’s House of Representatives, outlined how the country plans to transpose the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD IV).

The directive, adopted by the European Parliament in April 2024, has the overarching aim of making built environments emission-free by 2050. All EU member states are required to translate the directive into national law before 2026.

The Netherlands is planning to ensure all new buildings are energy-efficient and emission-free on the property from 2030 onwards. 

It says this will include owners using renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, whenever possible, or connecting their building to a local heating network.

Also starting in 2030, regulations will govern the amount of greenhouse gas emissions permitted throughout the entire lifespan of a new building, covering the building materials used, the building's installations and the energy consumed by the building. A roadmap introducing a measurement tool is scheduled for 2027.

The Dutch government says it will encourage building owners to replace fossil-fuel boilers with heat pumps and advises that a National Building Renovation Plan is under development, set for completion by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, a new classification system for energy labels for buildings will be introduced in 2030, designed to “provide a more accurate picture of a building's energy consumption and performance.”