In our latest white paper, WARMTE Heat for the Common Good, we explore how the Netherlands is tackling one of the biggest challenges facing both Dutch and UK energy systems: what comes after natural gas?

Rather than relying solely on individual technology choices, the Dutch are building a framework for heat as infrastructure. Through the new Collective Heat Act (Wet Collectieve Warmte), municipalities will identify where heat networks make sense, publicly controlled heat companies will oversee delivery, and long-term concessions will provide the certainty needed to attract investment and scale deployment.

The approach is particularly relevant to the UK. Both countries built their energy systems around abundant domestic gas, and both now face the challenge of decarbonising heat at scale. While Britain has introduced heat network regulation, zoning and funding support, the Dutch model goes a step further by creating the institutional and financial structures needed to turn heat zones into investable, long-term infrastructure.

The key lesson? Major energy transitions are rarely driven by consumer choices alone. Just as the move to natural gas required coordinated planning and investment, the transition away from gas may demand the same level of ambition.