In Utrecht, the heat transition vision aims to phase out natural gas by 2050. The district of Noordoost is one of seven pilot sites of the E2-CUTIES project, which is actively shaping the energy transition.
The LEC Noordoost brings together the citizen cooperative Griftstroom, the Municipality of Utrecht. The cooperative envisions a “social energy neighbourhood”, combining sustainable heating alternatives, solar energy, and efficiency measures with social goals.
They are supported by two expert partners: Energie Samen, the national energy cooperatives’ association, and the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht.
A diverse district with shared challenges
Noordoost is a 40,000-resident district made up of eleven neighbourhoods that range from highly educated to youth-dense and socially vulnerable areas. Most homes still rely on individual natural‑gas boilers. While district heating is a promising option for several neighbourhoods, the diversity of building stock, ownership patterns, and socio-economic conditions means that solutions must be highly tailored.
Building the foundations of a strong Local Energy Community
Griftstroom, a community-led cooperative, unites residents’ knowledge, digital platforms and neighbourhood networks to create a connected, welcoming district in Noordoost. Its ambition goes beyond energy; the cooperative now sits at the centre of the neighbourhood’s transition to a natural‑gas-free future.
Founded in 2023, Griftstroom set out to give residents a stronger voice in the city’s heat‑transition agenda. In 2024, it spearheaded the development of an Energy Vision, crafted by and for Noordoost residents, through energy cafés, co-creation sessions, and strategic community teams. The vision produced weighted scenarios, a resident manifesto, and an assessment of governance, ownership and participation options for potential heat solutions, while respecting neighbourhood differences.
The municipality, committed to Utrecht’s Heat Transition Vision, works with Griftstroom to align policy frameworks and planning. Together they desgined a governance structure that balances municipal responsibility with citizen ownership. The result is a collaborative framework that integrates local energy ambitions into the city’s broader transition strategy, while keeping residents at the heart of decision-making. This model ensures flexibility, as Griftstroom professionalises and as national heat‑law requirements shift.
Next steps to go the extra mile
With the partnership with Griftstroom speeding up, the municipality has widened its neighbourhood-based transition from three pilot areas to the entire Noordoost district. The main challenge for the city is system-level coordination: managing diverse neighbourhoods, integrating heat networks with broader infrastructure, and complying with the upcoming heat law that will shift designating heat zones and selecting providers for municipalities. In light of lessons from the city, including the withdrawal of an energy supplier, the municipality has begun talks about creating a public heat company. The new Heat Policy Note prioritises energy communities in heat‑zone tendering, and Griftstroom is one of three neighbourhood initiatives exploring this path.
The Local Energy Community needs joint roadmaps that align municipal infrastructure planning with the cooperative’s ambitions, backed by expert advice on sustainable sources and system design.
Financially and legally, both sides face unclear frameworks. Griftstroom still lacks stable funding and clear liability rules, while the municipality must define its financing role, tackle fragmented subsidies, and implement the new heat legislation.
Building an inclusive community, a key success factor
Griftstroom has rolled out a survey tool to capture residents’ views, wishes, and needs, and in November 2025, the Municipality of Utrecht mailed a neighbourhood letter to 20 000 addresses in Noordoost, inviting recipients to one of four information gatherings. Those sessions updated citizens on the latest research and developments, and in 2026, a first exploration of collective heat pumps will be held in neighbourhood in Noordoost. Meanwhile, Griftstroom continues to nurture a platform where residents can co‑design energy‑transition initiatives. Monthly resident-led activities, ranging from workshops to informal meetings, fuel the emergence of pilot ideas. Though the initiative operates on multiple independent tracks, it remains a work in progress: the coalition still seeks active volunteers to develop a neighbourhood-level renewable heating system, and it is aligning its processes more tightly with municipal plans.
The Local Energy Community (LEC) therefore focuses on bottom‑up legitimacy, aiming to convince residents to join the cooperative and bring diverse volunteers to the table. Both actors stress inclusive participation as vital but note challenges in reaching under‑represented groups. Griftstroom currently has 60 members and targets 1 300, a growth that will reinforce the local energy community.
The story of Noordoost highlights both the complexity and potential of community-led decarbonisation. Griftstroom and the Municipality of Utrecht are learning how to share responsibilities, balance formal governance with flexibility, and engage a socially diverse district in shaping its own energy future.
To support the transition in Utrecht, the LEC can count on its European peers and be inspired by the other pilot sites of the E2-CUTIES project: Dublin-Balbriggan, Leuven and Strasbourg.