The first Fair Energy Awards will be presented on 8 January 2027 during Energiek Alphen’s New Year’s reception. The organisation will also be celebrating its 12.5th anniversary on this occasion. There are three categories:

1. Members of Energiek Alphen aan den Rijn
2. Residents, organisations and businesses in the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn
3. Nationwide, for residents, organisations and businesses in the Netherlands

Erik de Ruijter, Chair of Energiek Alphen: “With this initiative, we aim to draw the attention of residents in our municipality to the importance of energy saving. We started out as a voluntary organisation in 2014 to raise awareness amongst residents, organisations and businesses about sustainable energy use and to offer practical guidance. It has been a success, as our Energy Coaches have already provided energy advice to around two thousand residents of the municipality.”

Since 2019, around 150 participants have also been taking part in ”Zon op Alphen”, and the first local energy community is set to be officially launched in Benthuizen shortly. “Our electricity is becoming increasingly expensive. We need to invest in local, sustainable electricity – electricity that we generate and share together. The Fair Energy Prize helps us to gain more support from residents and businesses so that we can work together to build a local, affordable electricity supply for everyone,” says De Ruijter.

Energiek Alphen intends to present the award annually from now on. The winners will receive a beautiful award in the form of a sculpture by the Alphen-based artist Fija Jongenburger. De Ruijter: “This highlights three of our key values: honesty, local cooperation and sustainable energy.”

Board members of Energiek Alphen aan den Rijn are currently drawing up the list of nominations for the various categories. The winners will be announced during Energiek Alphen’s New Year’s reception on 8 January 2027 at the BSC’68 clubhouse in Benthuizen.