The listed office villa on Weteringschans, by the bridge towards the Rijksmuseum, is being renovated to lift its energy label from G to A++.
A heat exchanger will be lowered into the canal, joining a second one already installed beneath the water.
The system draws energy from the water and passes it to a heat pump that heats or cools the building.
Canal energy for a historic building
Suze Gehem, co-founder and director of the consultancy De Groene Grachten, says aquathermy is proven, but this is the first time the company has applied it in historic Amsterdam on its own, without subsidies.
The renovation also includes insulated windows and solar panels on the roof that cannot be seen from the street.
Potential for Amsterdam households
De Groene Grachten estimates that more than 40,000 households in the city centre could get sustainable heat from aquathermy, based on how much energy flows into the canals from the Amstel each year.
The city’s Heat Transition Vision says Amsterdam should make more use of aquathermy as an energy source.
If this has you rethinking how your own home is heated, start with choosing a heating specialist in Amsterdam.