EnergyRijk, The Hague

Realized in The Netherlands

EnergyRijk, The Hague

Gearing up for the 2050 EU energy targets, the City of The Hague and the Central Government Real Estate Agency have identified sixteen major government buildings that need to become energy-neutral by 2040. Rebel provided sustainability advice and is part of the consortium developing a strategy to hit this target.

The challenge

Reducing energy consumption in existing buildings and boosting their sustainability represents a significant challenge. Measures are costly, and the scope for generating renewable energy is limited. Working in a consortium with Witteveen+Bos and DWA, we have embraced the challenge of finding solutions and bringing them to market.

The approach

The buildings include the Ministries of Social Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and The Hague City Hall. Sparring with our consortium partners, we are looking at combinations of energy-saving measures, locally generated renewable energy and the costs and benefits of the various options. Modifying the fabric of the buildings is a major task in itself, made all the more challenging by the need for linkage to local renewable sources, such as geothermal heating (ATES).

Our focus is on optimizing investment moments and creating a market-based procurement strategy aimed at converting technological potential to actual gains by deploying a smart implementation strategy. The sustainability advisory report was completed in November 2017 followed soon afterwards by the first steps in realizing the strategy.

Impact

The Hague’s energy transition towards 16 energy-neutral buildings is well underway.