Energy Saving Obligation

Published on:
29 May 2019
Last checked on:
14 March 2024

The Environmental Activities Decree (Besluit activiteiten Leefomgeving) and the Environment Buildings Decree (Besluit bouwwerken Leefomgeving) requires business locations in the Netherlands that use 50,000 kWh of electricity or 25,000 m3 of natural gas (or an equivalent) or more per year to take energy saving measures with a payback period of five years or less. This is the Energy Saving Obligation.

Do you have to comply with the Energy Saving Obligation? If so, you must report every 4 years via the Energy Saving Notification Obligation or via the Energy Saving Investigation Obligation. The most recent deadline for submitting this report was 1 December 2023. Have you not submitted your report yet? Do so as soon as possible. Additionally, the European Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) requires large companies to perform an energy audit; the EED Audit Obligation.

About the energy saving obligation

Do you use 50,000 kWh of electricity or 25,000 m3of natural gas (equivalent) or more per year at your site? If so, you probably have to comply to the energy saving obligation.

Notification obligation

Do you have an energy saving obligation? Then you must report on the implementation of your energy-saving measures. This is almost always via the information obligation report.

Investigation obligation

Do you have an energy saving obligation? And do you use 10 million kWh of electricity or 170,000 m3 of natural gas(equivalent) or more per year at your site? If so, you probably have to comply to the obligation to investigate.

EED audit requirement

Are you a large company? Or a social institution with an economic activity? If so, you probably have an EED audit requirement.

Step-by-step: Check your obligations

Use the step-by-step plan to determine whether you need to comply with the information obligation, investigation obligation or EED audit obligation.

Commissioned by:
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy
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