About the Enabler
In the Netherlands, the consortium uniting Energie Samen and Energie Samen Rivierenland, promotes a grassroots approach to collective renovation. Representing more than 450 energy communities, it forms the backbone of the Dutch community energy movement, driving local engagement and sustainable development through collaborative initiatives and regional partnerships.
Energie Samen blends national coordination with strong local involvement. Through regional branches, it trains thousands of energy coaches, builds capacity, and establishes One-Stop Shop structures. In Rivierenland, this approach has already delivered over 20 collective heating projects and numerous home renovations, showcasing how local engagement drives impactful energy transitions across communities.
Energie Samen Rivierenland is the implementing cooperative and goes beyond technical solutions by prioritising social inclusion, community empowerment, and lasting sustainability. Their approach transforms social networks into powerful drivers of the energy transition, demonstrating that citizen-led initiatives accelerate change while ensuring fairness. By engaging communities and fostering collaboration, Energie Samen Rivierenland proves that the path to a sustainable future is not only technological but deeply social, where collective action makes the transition faster, more equitable, and resilient for generations to come.
More Information
- Location
Netherlands
- Legal Form
National federation of citizen energy cooperatives & regional cooperative alliance
- Established in year
Energie Samen founded in 2017; Energie Samen Rivierenland active since 2020
- Activities
The initiatives focus on energy, buildings, climate, and finance. They support community-owned renewable energy projects, the development of local energy communities, and smart-grid integration. They also provide neighbourhood-level renovation support, including energy scans, insulation advice, heat-pump guidance, and cooperative renovation models. In addition, the program promotes citizen participation in climate action, awareness-raising on emissions reduction, and collaboration with municipalities and regional partners. Finally, it encourages cooperative financing and member investment, offers guidance on subsidies and EU or national funding, and helps develop business cases for community energy and renovation projects.
- Activities for Citizen‑led Renovation Collectives
- Facilitating neighbourhood groups to organise collective renovation actions
- Providing technical advice, energy scans, and renovation roadmaps
- Coordinating collective procurement to reduce costs for residents
- Supporting vulnerable households through cooperative structures
- Organising workshops, local meetings, and community engagement activities
- Helping communities navigate financial options and subsidies
CLR collectives supported
In the Netherlands, both organisations play a key role in the country’s energy community landscape. The consortium adopts a bottom-up approach to collective renovation initiatives, ensuring strong local involvement from the outset. Energie Samen Rivierenland serves as the cooperative responsible for implementing projects in selected neighborhoods. Energie Samen, in turn, shares the knowledge gained through these projects with national and European initiatives, while working to strengthen the position of residents’ cooperatives across both the Netherlands and Europe.
The collectives receiving support from the Dutch consortium are:
- Warm Westerkwartier (cooperative) - is a citizen-led cooperative in Culemborg, driving a just and collective transition towards energy-efficient, fossil-free homes.
- Buurtvereniging Laageinde-Tuindorp (association) - a long-standing neighbourhood association, founded in 1936, and fully citizen-led with open, voluntary participation.
- Oranjebuurt (association) - from July 2024, the municipality of Neder-Betuwe, housing corporation Thius and consultancy firm Bouwhulp started a sustainability project in the Oranjebuurt in Dodewaard.
Factsheet
Discover how citizen-led renovation in the Netherlands is bringing communities together to drive collective energy upgrades and improve building efficiency.
Click to read the full factsheet and find out how the consortium supports local initiatives and works with citizens to turn collaborative renovation projects into concrete action.
Contact
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact contact
energiesamen [dot] nu (contact[at]energiesamen[dot]nu)
