Pilot Súdwest-Fryslân
Motivation
Súdwest-Fryslân, the largest municipality in square footage in the Netherlands, combines strong sustainability ambitions with a practical, community-oriented approach. The region has a vibrant tourism economy and considers the hospitality and food sector one of its core parelsectoren (priority clusters). Because many of these businesses are micro and small-sized enterprises (MSEs), strengthening their energy performance is directly linked to economic resilience, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability.
The municipality has extensive experience supporting both households and entrepreneurs in their energy transition — from local energy coaching programmes to circular procurement initiatives. The ECOBoost pilot builds on this foundation by addressing the specific challenges faced by hospitality and food MSEs: high refrigeration loads, heating demand, seasonal fluctuations, and limited financial and organisational capacity to invest in efficiency improvements.
This pilot contributes to broader regional and national policy goals, including the Dutch Climate Agreement, the Regional Energy Strategy (RES) Fryslân, and the municipality’s own circular economy and sustainability ambitions.
Approach
Through ECOBoost, Súdwest-Fryslân will implement a conditional support model designed to overcome two key barriers:
- the upfront cost of professional audits, and
- the complexity of navigating Dutch subsidy schemes.
The pilot combines tailored energy audits, subsidy guidance, and light-touch capacity building into a replicable support pathway for MSEs.
Key elements of the approach:
- Tailored energy audits for hospitality and food MSEs, analysing building performance, heating optimisation, refrigeration efficiency, lighting, and behavioural measures.
- Conditional cost coverage: The audit has a defined market value, but ECOBoost covers these costs on the condition that businesses implement the most cost-effective measures with a payback time of ≤ 5 years.
- Step-by-step subsidy support, helping entrepreneurs navigate national and regional schemes (such as EIA, ISDE and MKB-sustainability programmes).
- Capacity building for business owners and staff, improving understanding of energy efficiency, funding opportunities, and practical actions.
- Strong regional ecosystem: collaboration with Vereniging Circulair Fryslân, local advisors, knowledge partners, and entrepreneurs.
To ensure learning, refinement, and replicability, the pilot will be carried out in two phases:
- Phase 1: audits and subsidy guidance for 8 MSEs.
- Phase 2: implementation monitoring, refinement of the model, and support for an additional 8 MSEs.
This phased structure mirrors international best practices and ensures that the pilot delivers solutions tailored to the Frisian context.
Expected impact
The ECOBoost pilot strengthens the capacity of MSEs to take tangible, cost-effective energy-saving actions while improving the municipality’s own support mechanisms for small businesses.
Expected outcomes include:
- At least 16 MSEs supported through audits, subsidy guidance, and follow-up.
- Increased access to subsidies and reduced administrative barriers.
- Measurable reductions in energy use and CO₂ emissions within the hospitality and food sector.
- Upskilled entrepreneurs and staff with better long-term decision-making capacity.
- A replicable pilot model that can be adopted by other municipalities in Fryslân and across the Netherlands.
- Strengthened alignment with European, national and regional climate objectives.
Get in touch & share knowledge
Súdwest-Fryslân brings strong local networks and experience to ECOBoost — and is eager to learn from partner regions. Interested in our pilot or in sharing ideas for collaboration? Get in touch and join us in helping small businesses in the Food and Hospitality sector make sustainable choices today for a stronger tomorrow!
Focco Dam
Focco is project leader and coordinator for Southwest Friesland in this project. He has much hands-on experience in energy saving in MSEs.
Rutger Hoekstra
Rutger is European affairs advisor at the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. He is mainly concerned with partner and organisational matters within the project.