Heat Transition Plan Adopted by the Voorschoten City Council
Councilwoman Erika Spil: “We’re committed to working closely with residents.”
On Thursday, December 16, the Voorschoten City Council adopted the Heat Transition Vision 1.0. The document states that the municipality first intends to significantly promote home insulation and energy conservation through 2030. There are also three neighborhoods—Krimwijk, Bijdorp, and Vlietwijk—where the municipality, together with residents, intends to explore opportunities to switch from natural gas to a sustainable heat source. Voorschoten aims to be completelycarbon-neutral by 2050.
The Heat Transition Vision is a comprehensive plan that outlines how Voorschoten will transition from natural gas to sustainable heat in homes and other buildings by 2050. On , the Housing, Spatial Planning, and Green Spaces Committee unanimously adopted a motion to add “1.0,” because the Heat Transition Vision will be updated at least every 5 years.
Community-focused
In 2022, we’ll begin developing a plan for neighborhood-focused insulation in several neighborhoods— . That number will expand over the years.“In Krimwijk, Bijdorp, and Vlietwijk, there are opportunities that could potentially be implemented by 2030. We’ll be conducting further research into this. But,” says Erika Spil, Alderwoman for Sustainability,“we’ll be doing this explicitly in collaboration with the residents.” All other neighborhoods will be addressed after 2030. However, residents can switch on their own if it becomes clear that an individual solution is the only option in their neighborhood. An interim solution is also possible in the form of a hybrid heat pump, which uses significantly less natural gas.
Support from the municipality
Homeowners can already start insulating their homes on their own. “The municipality is eager to support this in various ways—for example, through advice from the Sustainable Building Help Desk and assistance from energy coaches. Insulation is important, not just because of the energy savings: when homes are better insulated, there are more sustainable options for heating them ,”says Erika Spil.
More information about what's available in each neighborhood can be found at https://www.voorschoten.nl/voorschoten-aardgasvrij.