Expected developments

The population of the Netherlands is expected to rise until 2035 (CBS, 2010). Bij 2030, it is expected that about 17.3 million people live in the Netherlands. The average age of the population is expected to go up as life expectancy increases and immigration becomes an increasingly important part of population growth. York (2007) investigated the effects of demographics on energy demand in European countries. He found that energy demand is likely to drop as population decreases, but demand will increase as a larger share of the population is elderly. Since the population oh the Netherlands is both higher and has a higher share of elderly in 2030 than in 2012, it can be expected that ceteris paribus the energy demand of households will increase.