Grid congestion is a major problem for housing construction in the Netherlands: the overloaded electricity grid delays projects while the housing shortage is severe. Therefore, the provinces of Flevoland, Gelderland, and Utrecht (FGU) are the first provinces to take steps to include a standard for grid-conscious new residential areas in their environmental regulations.

What is the standard for grid-conscious new construction? 

The standard for grid-conscious new construction sets a limit on the maximum peak load that all homes together in a new residential area may cause. By applying smart, grid-conscious design principles, the design stays within this established limit.

This reduces the load on the electricity grid and allows more within the grids limitations, both in terms of housing construction and other developments. In addition to this standard for housing, the Province of Utrecht is also working on grid-conscious variants in other sectors.

The implementation of this measure is expected in December 2026 for the Province of Utrecht. The measure originated from the Housing Summit of December 2024. There, the national government, the FGU provinces, and partners agreed to stimulate grid-conscious building. The standard was developed by the provinces together with VRO, the grid operators, and construction associations.  

Deputy for Energy Transition Huib van Essen: By working with a standard for grid-conscious new construction, we can use the limited grid capacity as smartly as possible. This makes it possible to build as many homes as possible, which is urgently needed given the large housing task. This keeps the impact on housing construction as small as possible.

What does the standard mean for municipalities and developers? 

After the provincial environmental regulation is adjusted, municipalities are required to include the standard in their environmental plans. This imposes an additional condition for obtaining an environmental permit for all housing projects.  

Developers of housing projects must demonstrate and substantiate with concrete measures that their housing plans comply with the standard when applying for an environmental permit. These are mainly measures in the field of construction and installation technology, such as extra insulation or an efficient heating system. It is technically feasible for all types of new homes to meet the standard for grid-conscious new construction.

Connection depends on availability of capacity on the grid 

Complying with the standard for grid-conscious new construction does not mean that a connection for the homes is immediately available. This depends on the availability of capacity on the electricity grid. The grid operator decides based on the grid situation whether it is possible to connect the homes. By building homes grid-consciously, it is possible to realize more homes within the same amount of capacity. This increases the chance of integrating the homes into the grid when capacity is scarce and prevents unnecessary reinforcement of the grid.

Together towards a smooth implementation of the standard for grid-conscious new construction 
It is important that municipalities are well supported. Therefore, the FGU provinces work closely with VNG and some municipalities on a careful implementation of the standard.

For press information:
lotte.mulders@provincie-utrecht.nl
06 39 25 06 62