Energy efficiency in the Dutch residential sector: reflections on policy implementation

A major objective of Dutch energy programmes and strategies is the reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases, especially CO2. The CO2 reduction target currently being pursued by The Netherlands is 2% annually by 2020 below 1990 levels. Climate change mitigation has been receiving political attention in The Netherlands for a long time, resulting in a particularly close incorporation of energy programmes and measures into a comprehensive, long-term Dutch climate change policy programme, which started in 1998 after the country signed the Kyoto treaty.