Sustainable heating

Do you want to (eventually) switch from natural gas to a sustainable way of heating and hot water? Then insulating your home is the first step. So look first at saving energy by insulating. 

A warm home with a (hybrid) heat pump

We are switching to renewable energy sources and slowly saying goodbye to natural gas. Natural gas-free living means no longer using natural gas to shower, cook or heat your home. 

Most homes are now heated with a boiler that runs on natural gas. A sustainable alternative is a (hybrid) heat pump. This heats your home without natural gas. Or the heat pump cleverly works together with your central heating boiler, using much less natural gas. This is called a hybrid heat pump. 

Is a (hybrid) heat pump for you?

In most cases, yes. Which type of heat pump is most suitable depends on your budget and desired living comfort. But the degree of insulation is also important. For new construction and houses that are well insulated, an electric heat pump is a smart choice. A hybrid heat pump can also benefit less well-insulated homes. The better insulated your home is, the greater the benefit. Insulating helps and can always be done in steps. An insulated home brings more comfort. It stays nice and warm in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Can't figure it out yourself?

The Sustainable Building Counter is the energy counter for Wassenaar. The municipality pays the Sustainable Building Counter and therefore the counter gives free and independent telephone advice. You can go there with all your questions about sustainable (re)construction, energy savings and energy generation. Want to know more? Go to the website of Duurzaam Bouwloket or call 070 - 208 30 37.

Nationwide grant for making your home more sustainable

You ask for money back after you have a (hybrid) heat pump or solar water heater cooktop installed. Or after you insulate your home. Different amounts are available for each measure. For more information about the national ISDE subsidy, visit the Rijksoverheid website. 

Your situation: no mandatory removal of natural gas until 2030

The municipality drew up a transition vision for heat in 2021. This states how we in Wassenaar will switch from natural gas to sustainable heating sources. The main points of the transition vision for heat are:

  • Until 2030, homes in Wassenaar will not be required to go off natural gas.
  • We are now fully committed to reducing energy consumption. By insulating homes, low-temperature heating and using energy-efficient technical systems such as a hybrid heat pump.  
  • You can see what the possibilities are for your neighborhood on Sustainable Heat for Wassenaar. There will be an update in 2026 with the latest for technology and costs, for example. Look at the Map for details about your neighborhood.

Individual solutions (heat only for your own home)

With an individual solution, your home has its own renewable heat source. Examples of individual solutions include a hybrid or an electric heat pump.

Please note that the examples we provide below inform you of the options. It is not intended as advice.

Intermediate step: hybrid heat pump

A hybrid heat pump is a heat pump that runs on electricity in combination with a natural gas boiler. The electric heat pump supplies most of the heat needed. If the heat pump cannot provide enough heat, such as on a cold day in winter or when hot water is being used, the central heating boiler takes over. With a hybrid heat pump, you save energy and emit less CO2. The rijksoverheid plans to make the hybrid heat pump compulsory when buying a new boiler from 2026.

Electric heat pump

An electric heat pump heats all areas of a home and also makes hot water. The pump does this by extracting heat from the ground or outside air. A heat pump can heat water to about 50°C. This is much less than the average 80°C of a central heating boiler. To adequately heat your home with an electric heat pump, it must be well insulated. You no longer need a natural gas connection with an electric heat pump, and you also need electric cooking.  

An electric heat pump is now mostly used as an individual solution, but can also be used well to heat a number or an entire block of houses.

Collective solutions (heat for a group of homes)

A collective solution involves connecting a group of homes, or even an entire neighborhood, to a shared heat source.

Heat grid

With a heat grid, homes get their heat through hot water brought to the homes through pipes. That hot water comes from a source, which can be anything. It can be heat that an industry no longer needs, for example, or from water (aquathermy) or very deep from the earth (geothermal). Heat networks differ from each other by the temperature of the heat they give off.

Green gas or hydrogen

The rijksoverheid also lists green gas and hydrogen as options for heating. Very little green gas will be available for homes and buildings. With hydrogen, only pilots will be done until 2030. In Wassenaar, we do not (now) have both at our disposal. On the site of the Expertise Center Heat you can read more about hydrogen and green gas.

Vision of heat from the municipality (tvw)

The municipality has written a vision stating how Wassenaar is going to switch to sustainable heat before 2050. We call this the transition vision heat. It states which possibilities we currently see per neighborhood and the moments when we want to take steps. You can read more about the transition vision on Sustainable heat for Wassenaar.

Frequently Asked Questions

At frequently asked questions you can read the most common questions and answers about the heat transition. We regularly add to these questions. Do you have another question? Then send an e-mail to energietransitie@wassenaar.nl.

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