Noodfonds Energie reopens this winter: half of your energy costs above 8 or 10 per cent of gross income back

Take last year's annual energy statement and do one division: your monthly electricity and gas costs over your household's gross monthly income. If the answer is above 8 per cent, or above 10 per cent in the slightly higher income band, the Noodfonds Energie that reopens this winter pays back half of the part above that line. The cabinet confirmed it in the 2027 budget on 15 September: 193 million euro for about 500,000 households, and everyone who qualifies and applies gets paid. It stays open for at least four months, with online and paper applications; the opening date itself has not been announced yet. It suits lower-income households with high heating bills, including tenants with their own energy contract. Next step: leave your e-mail on the fund's site for the opening notice and work out your own percentage now. (source 2, source 1)

• Background: the fund is run by the Stichting Tijdelijk Noodfonds Energie, founded in 2022 by Schuldenlab NL, the Nederlandse Schuldhulproute and the suppliers Eneco, Essent, Greenchoice and Vattenfall. It opened each spring from 2023 to 2025 on a first-come basis and closed when the money ran out. This year it becomes a public scheme paid by the state, so administrative law applies and a refusal can be challenged; support is mostly deducted from your energy bill in instalments, or paid to your own account if that is not possible. (source 1, source 4)
• Income bands (gross, per month, including 8 per cent holiday pay): single people up to 2,327 euro and couples up to 3,250 euro are in the 130 per cent band and qualify from an 8 per cent energy share; single people from 2,327 to 3,580 euro and couples from 3,250 to 5,000 euro are in the 200 per cent band and need 10 per cent. Income below the social minimum (1,790 single, 2,500 couple) is counted as that minimum. The fund warns the minimum may be slightly higher at opening. (source 1, source 4)
• Who it suits: households on a low income with a high energy bill. Savings are not tested, so a family with a low income this year but money in the bank can still apply, and your supplier does not matter. The conditions do require your own contract for gas, electricity or district heating, or a blokaansluiting (a shared building connection); tenants whose energy is included in the rent and who hold no contract should find out which of the two they are. (source 1, source 4)
• Before you plan on it: the opening date is not set, and the minister said in July that a September letter would announce it; until then nobody can apply early. The minimum and maximum payments are also still open, and the cabinet expects an average of about 360 euro per household per year. Media coverage in July matches the minister's letter. (source 4, source 5)

Put in your own numbers: your share = monthly energy costs / gross monthly household income. In the 130 per cent band the monthly payment is (monthly energy costs - income x 8%) / 2; in the 200 per cent band use 10 per cent instead. The official examples: a single person earning 2,000 euro with 200 euro of energy costs gets (200 - 160) / 2 = 20 euro a month, 240 euro a year; a family of four earning 3,800 euro with 456 euro of costs gets (456 - 380) / 2 = 38 euro a month, 456 euro a year. Read the other way: at 2,000 euro a month, energy costs must exceed 160 euro before any money comes back. (source 3, source 4)

Hokimi field note: for the share, divide the real annual cost on your statement by twelve rather than using your monthly advance, which suppliers often set too high or too low. Only leave details on noodfondsenergie.nl itself, never DigiD or bank details behind a forwarded link. Facts from the SZW budget news of 15 September, the minister's letter of 1 July and the fund's own site, checked on 19 September 2026. Photos: Donald Trung Quoc Don / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), Santeri Viinamäki / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).