An extra reimbursement for the energy bill: this is how you qualify

The number of Zoetermeer residents who are in trouble due to high energy bills has risen sharply in the past year. This group has to deal with so-called energy poverty. But there is a small bright spot for these people: they get a part of their energy bill reimbursed.

In Zoetermeer, an estimated 7 percent of households will be in energy poverty by 2022. According to a research agency, this includes two groups of people: people with a low income in combination with a high energy bill and people with a low income in combination with a house with a low energy label. The number of Zoetermeer residents with energy poverty has increased compared to 2020, when it concerned 5.9 percent of households.

Reimbursement for the energy bill

For these fellow citizens it is still exciting when the energy bill comes on the doorstep. So it became Temporary Energy Emergency Fund called in life. This is a new initiative of energy companies, Nederlandse SchuldhulpRoute and SchuldenlabNL. Zoetermeer residents with energy poverty receive part of their bill through this fund.

Conditions of compensation

Before you calculate your wealth through this scheme, it is good to check whether you are eligible for compensation. The conditions are:

• Your income may not exceed 200 percent of the social minimum. This means that your gross income is a maximum of 2,980 euros if you are single or 3,794 euros if you live together.
• You must have a contract with an energy supplier.
• The energy bill you have to pay is higher than 10 percent of the (joint) gross income.

This is how you request a reimbursement on your energy bill

Do these rules apply to you? Then it’s time to apply for the reimbursement! You do this by downloading the Temporary Emergency Fund Energy app and then filling in the digital forms. Among other things, you will be asked about your income, energy contract and family composition. When you’re done, the fund checks whether the data is correct and forwards it to your energy company. And… it’s done! You will receive a quick message from the energy company about how much you will be compensated.

Other ways in which Zoetermeer residents are helped

In addition to the compensation from the fund, more is being done in the municipality of Zoetermeer to help fellow citizens with energy poverty. Our municipality has one temporary emergency fund of 2 million euros, which private individuals, associations, companies and social organizations can appeal to. To this end, the municipality has entered into a partnership with ‘Stichting Urgent Needen’, Zoetermeer (SunZ), Stichting Leergeld and the Food Bank. If you prefer financial advice first, you can contact the Money point for a free consultation about this.