Protest, but also resignation about the significant price increase in the heating network: ‘What should you do? We can’t do anything about it at all’

When 56-year-old Lukas Schmeink bought a house on Sporenburg in the Oostelijk Havengebied more than two years ago, he did not realize he was ‘so stuck’, he says. Yes, he knew that the house was connected to Vattenfall’s heating network, “but I thought: heat generated by the incineration of waste? Good system.”

After his move, Schmeink based his installment on the price he paid in his previous home, with a central heating boiler. “We thought it would be more or less the same. Not so. We paid too little for a year, which meant we had to make a huge additional payment. That amounted to 4,000 euros. And we cannot look for another provider.”

High-profile argument

Heat supplier Vattenfall immediately increased fixed costs by almost 200 euros this year. This led to a heated argument with the housing associations. Attempts to reverse the cost increase for thousands of tenants came to nothing. The municipality is working on compensation for social tenants in the Van der Pekbuurt, Gentiaanbuurt and Molenwijk, who were recently connected to the heating network with the promise that they would not deteriorate. The intention is to buy off the fixed costs over the long term.

More than 50,000 Amsterdam households are now connected. Their homes were usually delivered as new buildings with district heating – such as half of the homes in the Oostelijk Havengebied, where there is a mix of owner-occupied, private rental and social rental properties. Schmeink: “We can afford it. But for people with less to spend, this is a hard blow.”

Do not choose your own supplier

This also applies to Wil Snel (74), who has lived in the neighborhood since 1999. Nice, she calls the city heat. “You don’t have to worry about it. Maintenance is also included.” She noticed that the price suddenly went up. “But I don’t lose sleep over it.”

Snel expresses the way in which many of her local residents think about the price increase. “I’m apparently one of those people who can afford not to worry about prices,” says local resident Ellen (56), who does not want her surname in the newspaper. “To be honest, I didn’t notice anything. It is a shame that we cannot choose our own energy supplier, but I think the prices so far have not been too bad.”

Or take André van den Berg (66), who has lived in a house in the neighborhood for 25 years: “I recently tried to understand what my bill looked like. I was only half successful, although I didn’t really try hard. The district heating service is easy, everything is arranged.”

Frustration in the neighborhood

According to local resident Margot (48), who does not want her surname in the newspaper for privacy reasons, this resignation is the reason that few local residents will ‘stand up’ to protest against the price increase. “There is a lot of frustration in the neighborhood because we cannot choose another supplier ourselves,” she says. “People find it annoying that Vattenfall sets the price. Many local residents have the impression that they pay too much, but they also think: that’s just the way it is. A fight against such a big company is not worth it.”

65-year-old Nevin Gunerden, she walks across the Baron GA Tindaplein, thinks exactly the same. She has been renting from Ymere for years and has seen her monthly costs increase drastically. “I used to pay 75 euros a month, last year it became 200,” she says. The rate has now become 143 euros per month. Sighing: “Still a lot.”

Gunerden has only been running the heating in the living room and kitchen for two years. “That’s one room, so I can easily heat there. I am very frugal, the municipality lends a helping hand.” She shrugs. “But what should you do? We can’t do anything about it at all.”

About the author: Madelief van Dongen is a news reporter for Het Parool. She writes about all kinds of Amsterdam topics, from tourist policy to squatted buildings, and reports live on events in the city.