ING Netherlands makes another €100 million available for the National Heat Fund
ING Netherlands and Rabobank are each making an additional €100 million funding available to the National Heat Fund in the Netherlands. This will enable the fund to lend an extra €200 million to private homeowners and homeowners' associations (VvE's) for energy-saving measures. The non-profit foundation offers loans on favorable terms, sometimes even without interest or repayment for lower-income households. The additional amount is expected to enable 12,500 households in the Netherlands to make their homes energy efficient.
Cooperation between banks and public authorities
In total, ING has provided €600 million in funding. Rabobank contributed a total of €550 million in the form of financing and guarantees, part of which has since been repaid. Since its establishment, the central government has played an important role as initiator of the National Heat Fund and created the conditions for commercial banks to participate. This spring, Minister Keijzer decided to add an additional €750 million to the fund.
Structural assistance for rising energy poverty
More and more households are struggling to pay their energy bills. According to a report by TNO published in July, the proportion of households experiencing energy poverty rose to 6.1 percent in 2024, partly due to the discontinuation of temporary support measures. The budget from the Temporary Energy Emergency Fund was also exhausted within a few days in April. The National Heat Fund offers a structural solution by helping homeowners finance energy-saving measures. This enables them to reduce their energy bills not just temporarily, but permanently.
Lower energy bills for almost everyone
Thanks to co-financing by the government, the fund is accessible to a broad group, including lower-income households, people over 75, and people with a negative BKR registration. Households with a combined income of up to €60,000 pay no interest. If borrowing capacity is insufficient, no repayments are required for the first five years. After that, a reassessment is made to determine whether repayment is possible.
Ernst Jan Boers, chairman of the board at National Heat Fund: “With the help of these banks, we can ensure that even more households can participate in the energy transition. Sustainability is not a luxury, but a necessity. For many households, this means lower energy costs, greater living comfort, and a home that is ready for the future.”
€223 million in loans granted in the first half of 2025
In 2024, the fund granted a record amount of €426 million in loans: almost double the amount granted in the previous year. In total, nearly 30,000 homeowners received support in making their homes more energy efficient, 58% of them through interest-free loans. Many people are continuing to make use of the fund in 2025. In the first half of the year, €223 million in loans was already granted to more than 14,000 households.
Laurens de Vos, Head of Business Banking at ING Netherlands: “We believe it is important that everyone who wants to make their home more sustainable is able to do so, thereby enabling the energy transition for as many people as possible. We are happy to contribute to this. We do this through, among other things, multi-year financing for the Warmtefonds, but also by providing our own mortgages and financing housing associations. We are pleased that more and more people are finding their way to the Warmtefonds.”
Michiel van der Zandt, Head of Consumer Banking at Rabobank: “In recent years, the National Heat Fund has succeeded in making sustainability accessible to virtually all homeowners. As a cooperative bank, we are happy to contribute to this. We are therefore delighted that this financing will enable us to continue our long-standing collaboration with the fund. The National Heat Fund is a shining example of how cooperation between the government and the business community can significantly accelerate the energy transition.”
Society is transitioning to a low-carbon economy. So are our clients, and so is ING. We finance a lot of sustainable activities, but we still finance more that’s not. See how we’re progressing at www.ing.com/climate