Ehe heating system revolution like in Germany is also happening in the Netherlands – the country that has been particularly dependent on natural gas for decades because of its gas field in the north-east. Here, too, property owners will soon no longer be able to install new gas heating systems. However, this will only apply from 2026 and only for single and two-family houses and terraced houses – not for apartments and apartments that will be connected to a heating network in the foreseeable future. The vast majority of Dutch households heat with a gas boiler. In the future, the norm will be heat pumps: pure and, as a compromise, also hybrids that run in combination with a natural gas system.
The Netherlands is the natural gas country par excellence: the fifth-largest EU economy supplied itself with natural gas for a long time and was a net exporter until a few years ago. A good 60 years ago, one of the largest natural gas fields in the world was discovered in the province of Groningen, with 2800 billion cubic meters: three kilometers below the surface, 35 by 25 kilometers in size, mainly between the cities of Groningen and Delfzijl. Houses and apartments throughout the country were connected to the natural gas grid. According to the most recent information available, nine out of ten households were still heating with a gas boiler in 2019.
