Step by step towards a natural gas-free municipality in 2050

Many people have already heard about it: in the future, we will no longer use gas for heating, cooking, and hot water. In West Maas en Waal, almost everyone still heats their home or building with natural gas. That is going to change step by step.

Off gas by 2050

The goal is to be natural gas-free by 2050 at the latest. That is 30 years from now. That may sound like a long way off, but that time is needed to find new solutions and prepare our homes and businesses for a natural gas-free future.

Why are we moving away from natural gas?

Burning natural gas releases CO2, which contributes to climate change. By signing the Paris Climate Agreement, the Netherlands has pledged to reduce its CO2 emissions. In addition, the earthquakes in Groningen have accelerated our efforts to phase out the use of natural gas.

Heat Transition Vision

Like all other municipalities, we are therefore working with a Heat Transition Vision. The goal is to stop using natural gas by 2050. The vision outlines which alternatives to natural gas are promising in our municipality. For each village, we are looking at the possible options for achieving gas-free living and the insulation required for each option per home. The transition from natural gas to a sustainable alternative is a process that will take decades. That is why it is important that we start now. At the end of 2022, our municipal council adopted the Heat Transition Vision.

How do we proceed?

We will assess at the village/neighborhood level where we can best start first. In doing so, we will listen to the wishes of residents. Perhaps there are active residents, village platforms, or energy cooperatives that see opportunities in their village. In addition, it is easier for some villages to switch away from gas than for others. Once we have a better picture of this, we will look at the best approach.

Working together to find feasible and affordable solutions

We believe it is important that sustainable solutions are feasible and affordable. We like to explore the possibilities together with our residents and involve everyone in this process as much as possible.

Exploring possibilities for heat from water

Due to grid congestion (capacity problems on the electricity grid), we are also investigating alternatives to electric heating. One of these is heat from water (aquathermal energy). As a municipality, we have an abundance of river water. In the future, this could be a source of heating for our homes. We are participating in a collaborative project for this purpose. You can find more information about this technology on the Rijkswaterstaat website .

What can you do already?

It is already possible to prepare your home for a natural gas-free future. You can do this by:

From gas cooking to electric cooking

Are you planning to have a new kitchen installed soon? That's a great time to switch to electric cooking. Get good advice about the electrical connection. Induction cooking may require modifications to your fuse box.

Don't want to switch to electric cooking right away, but are you renovating? Then have an electrical wire installed in the kitchen. That way, you can easily switch later on.

Check whether your pans are suitable for electric cooking. You will need pans with a magnetic base. You can easily test this yourself with a magnet.

Do you live in a rental property?

You will hear more from your housing association or landlord if there are plans for your home. First, they will investigate the possibilities for making the homes natural gas-free.

More information

Would you like to know more about saving energy, generating energy, or living without natural gas? Then make an appointment with our energy desk at .

Frequently asked questions about natural gas-free living
Step-by-step plan for natural gas-free living