Amsterdam offers free energy-contract help in English

Amsterdam residents who want help understanding an energy contract can get a free home visit from Energiehelden. Advice is available in English, Turkish and Arabic, according to the city’s announcement of 15 October (amsterdam.nl/en/news/free-help-energy-contract).

The service can explain a current contract, compare offers and help with a switch where a cheaper, suitable option exists. You remain in control of whether to change supplier. A lower bill is not guaranteed.

Why this matters

For someone settling into a home in Amsterdam, the useful starting point is understanding the contract already in place. A lower advertised monthly payment does not answer every question about leaving an existing deal. This service gives residents a way to discuss those questions in a language they understand.

What happens during a visit?

The city says a visit takes about 90 minutes to two hours. An adviser goes through the costs with you and can contact your supplier together with you. If you choose to switch, the adviser can arrange it and follow up afterwards.

Energiehelden’s own information page (sterkmetgeld.nl/energieheldenamsterdam) says its team checks cancellation charges and the final bill. It describes the programme as a City of Amsterdam-funded service and says it is not an energy-contract seller and has no ties to energy suppliers.

The operator also offers Dutch-language explanatory videos about comparing contracts, choosing a supplier and understanding monthly payments. These can be useful background, but they do not replace checking the details of your own agreement.

Check cancellation costs before changing supplier

Dutch consumer regulator ACM ConsuWijzer explains (consument.acm.nl/elektriciteit-en-gas/…/energiecontract-opzeggen-alles-over-opzegvergoeding-en-opzegtermijn) that ending a fixed-term energy contract early can involve a cancellation charge. This can also apply when you move house or leave the country.

ACM advises asking your current supplier for the expected charge before switching. Contracts with variable or dynamic rates do not carry this early-exit charge. The regulator says a contract’s notice period can be no more than one month.

Ask the adviser to compare the whole cost of changing contracts, including any charge for leaving the present one, rather than looking only at a new monthly payment.

How to request help

Send the word ENERGIE by WhatsApp to 06 205 207 34, the contact given on the city’s page. You can also use the sign-up link on the Energiehelden website (sterkmetgeld.nl/energieheldenamsterdam), which is in Dutch. Mention which language you would prefer when requesting a visit.

This is an Amsterdam service, not a nationwide entitlement. If you are unsure whether your address or contract situation is covered, ask before booking.

For wider housing information, see Babylon’s Netherlands renting guide (babylon.international/nl/netherlands-renting-guide).

Information checked on 28 October 2026.

Illustrative archive photograph of people beside an Amsterdam canal: Gautam Krishnan / Unsplash (unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-people-sitting-on-a-bench-in-front-of-a-building…), used under the Unsplash License (unsplash.com/license). Published by the photographer in October 2022. The people pictured are not identified as users of this service. Cropped and resized.