Tools
ToolsOnencan, A. M., Ou, J. and de Koning, J. I. J. C. (2024) Social acceptance of district heating: Evidence from the Netherlands. Sustainability Science, 19 (3). pp. 815-830. ISSN 1862-4065
Preview |
PDF (s11625-023-01452-8)
- Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (3MB) | Preview |
Abstract
The Netherlands Climate Change Agreement aims to reduce CO2 emissions and seismic events by halting natural gas usage by 2050. This will require widespread societal acceptance by 90% of households. The study investigates the social acceptance of a district heating network (DHN) among social housing tenants in Haarlem, Netherlands. The findings of a survey administered to ninety-five tenants revealed a substantial level of support for the DHN project. A significant portion of respondents, 75%, expressed their approval for the DHN, surpassing the legally required threshold of 70% for implementing building retrofits. Findings imply that although the participants possess an adequate comprehension of the rationale for energy transition, their familiarity with the precise particulars and practical information pertaining to the proposed transition to DHN is inadequate. The level of trust in housing corporations, energy providers, and the municipality is uniformly low, indicating a lack of institutional trust. Generally, the interpersonal trust among tenants tends to be lower than their trust in the broader public, which in turn restricts their capacity for self-organization and exercising influence over energy institutions. Although DHNs are typically regarded as environmentally friendly and secure, there are several challenges that need to be addressed, including the uncertainty about who will cover the costs of transitioning and the doubts surrounding DHN feasibility (warmth and reliability). We suggest implementing interventions to improve tenants' comprehension of the DHN project's particulars (capability), provide practical information regarding costs and feasibility (motivation), and foster trust at both interpersonal and institutional levels (opportunity).
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Funding information: This research was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) grant under the NWO Call for Complexity and the Creative Industry: Transitions and Resilience, under the ENRGISED project. ENRGISED is an acronym for ENgaging Residents in Green energy Investments through Social networks, complExity, and Design. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | com-b model,energy transition,institutional change,social acceptance,sustainable behaviour,systemic change,global and planetary change,health(social science),geography, planning and development,ecology,sociology and political science,nature and landscape conservation,management, monitoring, policy and law,sdg 7 - affordable and clean energy,sdg 11 - sustainable cities and communities,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2306 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Apr 2025 12:30 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Apr 2025 13:30 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98975 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11625-023-01452-8 |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |