Heat networks can play an important role in Gelderland’s heat transition, but only if costs for residents and businesses remain low and predictable. If rooftop solar, heat pumps or individual solutions appear cheaper, public support for collective heat can quickly erode.
The source therefore makes affordability part of climate implementation. Heat networks require not only technical infrastructure, but also tariff design, governance, transparency, resident protection and links with insulation. Low costs are not an afterthought; they are a condition for successful collective heat.