Sustainable heated swimming pools

The Netherlands has more than 1,370 publicly accessible swimming pools. These facilities are essential for the health, safety, and social well-being of millions of people – from children learning to swim to seniors staying active. However, in recent years, swimming pool operators have faced serious challenges. Soaring energy prices have put pressure on their budgets, threatening the accessibility and affordability of these vital community spaces.

Goal of the project

Sportfondsen Nederland (SFN) manages and operates over 160 sports facilities, including more than 70 swimming pools. To address rising energy costs, SFN asked Syntraal to identify sustainability options for 11 pools – but in a way that avoids repeating costly consultancy work for each location. Instead of creating 11 separate studies, the project team is developing one uniform approach that can be applied across the country. Together with SFN and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), this project is:

• Designing a standardised energy scan for swimming pools
• Creating a standardised checklist for electricity generation and energy efficiency measures
• Testing and validating both tools at 11 pilot locations

The Blueprint for the Future

The result will be a national blueprint for making swimming pools more sustainable – a practical, tested approach that can be rolled out to hundreds of pools nationwide.

The blueprint will include:

• Technical guidance on energy efficiency and renewable energy use
• A practical step-by-step implementation plan
• Insights from pilot projects to ensure real-world applicability

More information

Executive project partners

• Syntraal
• Ministerie VWS
• Sportfondsen Nederland