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District heating and the Heat Act — your rights as a customer?

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District heating falls under a separate Heat Act — different tariffs, different complaints route. We explain NMDA, ACM oversight, and objection.

Reviewed by FFCheck-redactie · Last reviewed 2026-05-28

District heating is regulated under the Heat Act and — from 2025 — the new Collective Heat Supply Act (Wcw). Key: the "Not More Than Otherwise" principle (NMDA) means heat may not cost more than a gas solution would for a comparable home. ACM publishes annual price caps. Rights:

  1. connection guarantee without interruption
  2. disconnection only after prescribed procedure
  3. transparent billing
  4. complaints route via heat supplier → Geschillencommissie Energie → ACM. Wcw 2025 introduces: cost-based pricing, municipal coordination, local opt-out on unaffordability. Disputes: same GCE route as regular energy.

Related

What is gas-free 2050Dutch homes go off gas before 2050 — planned per neighbourhood via Heat Transition Vision. What you can do now + your rights.Where to complain about energy supplier4 routes, in this order: supplier itself → Geschillencommissie Energie → ACM → civil court. We explain which route, when and at what cost.Geschillencommissie Energie — how it works€52.50 fee, binding ruling, processing ~4-6 months. Consumer success rate is high. We explain procedure and strategy.

Sources

Updated: 2026-05-28

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