How do you get hundreds of neighbors excited about a sustainability project? Let those residents take the lead themselves, says SSE professional Zita van Aggelen, who supervised a special initiative in Amersfoort. ‘We wanted to create a setting where you can have good conversations together.’

Getting off gas: a group of neighborhood residents in Amersfoort really wanted that. So when a new main pipeline for the local heating network was being laid nearby, they seized their chance. Could they connect their houses to it? Yes, but only if 70 percent of the households participated – otherwise, the project wouldn't be financially viable. And the residents only had six months to get everyone on board.

‘It wasn’t an easy task,’ admits SSE consultant Zita van Aggelen (WesselinkVanZijst), who, along with energy expert Gerwin Verschuur (Energie Samen), was asked to oversee the project. ‘Getting 200 households on board to make such an investment: that’s a lot. And the deadline was extremely tight. But we decided to go all in.’

Getting 200 households on board, that's a lot

The residents of the neighborhood had approached the municipality themselves for professional guidance and posted a vacancy. ‘During the job interviews, it became clear that they were looking for a combination of process support and in-depth expertise on heat networks,’ says Zita. ‘That's precisely why they asked Gerwin and me to take on this job together – because we complement each other perfectly.’

Listening to objections

From day one, the division of roles was clear: Zita guided the process, Gerwin acted as the content expert. Together, they designed and advised the initiators on the right approach.

‘We wanted to create a setting where you, as a neighborhood, can have meaningful conversations with each other,’ says Zita. ‘Because with a thorough process, you truly make a difference. For example, how do you organize a successful residents’ meeting? And how do you ensure that all parties and interests are heard?"

You can make a difference with a thorough process

The duo quickly realized that this plan works best when the neighborhood itself takes the lead. ‘We would be able to present the story far less convincingly – as two strangers who don't live in Amersfoort,’ Zita explains. ‘So that became our approach: supporting the initiators to engage in constructive, equal conversations with their neighbors.’

A consequential decision

Connecting your house to the heating network is a consequential decision, Zita emphasizes. ‘Behind every front door, different considerations play out. For some, the financial investment is a hurdle: participating costs a few thousand euros in this case. Another says: I'm too old for this. Yet another dreads the hassle of a renovation. And then you also have people who simply don't trust the matter. It's important to listen to all those voices and take them into account in the process.’

Residents also had a great need for practical information. For example, could the new heating pipe be neatly concealed in the facade? Did the heating company offer a reliable contract, were all calculations correct?

‘The municipality couldn’t answer questions like that, and the heat company, of course, wasn’t a neutral party,’ according to Zita. ‘Gerwin could analyze the situation well and engage in discussions with residents based on the facts. That brought calm and clarity.’

Strength of the collective

What Zita notices more often as an SSE professional: there is immense power in the collective. ‘By involving everyone, many ideas emerge which you could never have thought of on your own. I find that beautiful! When we needed expertise in a certain area, we only had to ask around – there's always someone in a neighborhood with the right knowledge and skills.’

The proposal to organize living room conversations for residents per street also came from the neighborhood itself. ‘That approach worked incredibly well.’

New questions for the municipality and the heat company arose from the street conversations. Zita and Gerwin got back to work on those. ‘We carefully collected all the questions and answered them in an Excel sheet. We then organized a residents’ evening, where people from the municipality and the heat company were also present to answer additional questions.'

You don't have to adopt every idea, as long as you communicate clearly.

The carefulness is crucial, emphasizes the SSE expert: ‘It makes people feel that their contribution has meaning. If you ignore their ideas or dismiss them immediately, they will disengage. This does not mean, however, that you have to be enthusiastic about every idea. As long as you are clear: this is a good idea, this we find less fitting. By giving clear feedback, you show that you have truly listened.’

New opportunities

What happened next in Amersfoort? The deadline was approaching, so the initiators redoubled their efforts. They organized additional information evenings, knocked on their neighbors' doors, and put flyers in mailboxes. And it paid off: on January 15, the day the contract offer expired, no fewer than 45 percent of the neighborhood residents had signed up – or 137 households.

‘An exceptional amount,’ says Zita, ‘but unfortunately not enough to meet the demands of the heating company. It's incredibly frustrating, of course.’

Our emphatic advice: seize this momentum to keep the conversation going

Although the disappointment had to be processed for a while, the residents didn't let it rest. The initiators have since founded an association, Zita explains. ‘Our explicit advice to all three parties – the municipality, residents, and the heating company – was to seize this momentum and keep talking. How can they solidify this collaboration, when will new opportunities arise? After all, we are still in the midst of the energy transition.’

This is currently happening: the residents are forming an advisory body in other Amersfoort neighborhoods, and they are strategic discussion partners for the municipality and the heating company.

‘All the experience they have gained here can be used in the near future to take steps in other neighborhoods as well,’ says Zita. Because that might be the most important lesson: ‘If you want to get such a large project off the ground in an existing neighborhood, you have to do it together – with consideration for everyone involved.’

At WesselinkVanZijst, we support parties with complex societal challenges. By focusing on the deeper, underlying interests of all stakeholders, we work on solutions that create value for everyone involved. This is how we move challenges forward and build sustainable relationships. Read more here.