The meeting was for administrators/volunteers involved in managing buildings (such as a clubhouse or community centre) or representing the interests of residents in their village centre or neighbourhood. So the participants also brought stories from their own neighbourhoods. “We gave them plenty of space to share their own experiences, because we've noticed that real-life stories generate a lot of enthusiasm among others,” says Erik de Ruijter, chair of Energiek Alphen aan den Rijn and initiator of the Samen Slimmer meeting.

“Most residents have already insulated their walls and floors and installed solar panels, and in some cases a heat pump or solar boiler. The quick wins have often already been implemented. However, there are many more opportunities to save energy and reduce energy costs, for example by generating sustainable energy collectively and sharing it with each other. We want to move from individual to collective action. In an energy community, you help each other to identify the possibilities. What about storing energy in batteries? What can wind energy offer? Can residents share energy with each other? When is the right time to start new developments? What about the costs and what subsidies are available? We discussed all of this together.“

The road to such energy communities is long, agrees the EA chair. “If many residents of a neighbourhood have already taken individual measures in their homes, new joint projects are slow to get off the ground. Technological developments can also slow down sustainability. People become cautious because they don't want to make the wrong choices. However, our pilot project in Benthuizen proves that you can take steps together. Following a Samen Slimmer (Smarter Together) meeting in October, two working groups have now been set up there.” One working group is concerned with the formation of the energy community in the village and the other with ‘Alternative heating’. Read here more.

“We understand that saving energy is not a primary objective for a board member of a sports club, a social organisation or the village council. That's logical, because they are committed to their village, neighbourhood or association,” says De Ruijter. “But you can take many energy-saving measures with local residents and association members. As Energiek Alphen, we wanted to use this evening to find out what promising sustainability plans exist and then see how we can follow up on them. We will now continue to work on this.”