Towards a debt-free Netherlands
In 2024, nearly 400,000 households in the Netherlands* were affected by energy poverty. At Eneco, we believe it's essential that people facing financial challenges are also included in the energy transition. That’s why we’ve been committed to a socially responsible debt collection policy for over a decade. As a major collecting party, we take our responsibility seriously—especially when it comes to supporting our most vulnerable customers.
To do so, we collaborate with various partners, including SchuldenlabNL. Together, we’ve been developing social innovations for years that help bring a debt-free Netherlands closer to reality.
To do so, we collaborate with various partners, including SchuldenlabNL. Together, we’ve been developing social innovations for years that help bring a debt-free Netherlands closer to reality.
A partnership since 2016
Our collaboration with SchuldenlabNL began in 2016, with its predecessor Schuldenlab070. Since then, we’ve worked together on initiatives such as the Dutch Debt Relief Route (Nederlandse Schuldhulproute), the National Coalition for Financial Health, and the Temporary Energy Emergency Fund (Tijdelijk Noodfonds Energie).On April 11, 2025, Sandra van Maarseveen, Director B2C at Eneco, and Sadik Harchaoui, Chief Mission Officer at SchuldenlabNL, reaffirmed our partnership by signing a renewed agreement. With this, we committed to further strengthening our collaboration. Our shared ambition: to make social debt collection the new standard, and to continue supporting initiatives that help, for instance, young people stay out of debt.
Promoting financial health – inside and outside Eneco
This renewed partnership is part of our broader ambition to gradually reduce the debt collection fees we receive in the coming years. We reinvest these funds into initiatives focused on education, prevention, and support related to poverty, energy poverty, and debt issues. Among other things, we work with programs such as Geldfit (the Dutch Debt Relief Route) and Social Debt.Our commitment doesn't stop there. We believe financial well-being starts from within our own organization. That’s why we also support our employees through initiatives like the Eneco Social Fund, providing practical help where needed.
What is socially responsible debt collection?
Socially responsible debt collection means reaching out as early as possible to help customers manage their debt. We provide sustainable, tailored solutions based on individual situations. This can include neighborhood-based projects, practical online tips, or referrals to appropriate support services.Since 2015, Eneco has been actively committed to this approach—and with results: in recent years, the number of disconnection notifications for households has been reduced by more than 85%.
*Source: TNO report “Energiearmoede in Nederland 2019-2023,” 2 July 2024
