News item | 31-03-2023 | 18:02
The price ceiling is not always a good fit for households that have a collective gas, heat or electricity connection (block connection). This group can therefore not make sufficient use of the price ceiling, but is affected by the high energy prices. The government has therefore urgently developed an alternative scheme, the Temporary Allowance Block Connections (TTB), to help this group as well. The government sent the draft regulation to the House of Representatives today. The scheme is expected to be opened for applications on 25 April.
Block connections
The scheme applies both to independent residential units, such as an apartment that uses collective heat via an Owners’ Association (VVE), and to non-self-contained residential units, such as a room in a student house or residential care initiative. It is estimated that there are about 700,000 households in total.
Allowance
The amount of the compensation has been announced earlier. For the first half of the year, this amounts to:
- Self-contained residential units (such as an apartment) with block gas or block heat: € 786.45
- Self-contained residential units with block electricity: € 731.13
- Non-self-contained housing units (such as a student room or residential care initiative) with block gas or block heat: € 329.28
- Detached residential units with block electricity: € 307.63
For households with both block heating and block electricity, the two amounts are added together. The allowance for households with block electricity includes an extra allowance of €380 for self-contained residential units and €160 for non-self-contained residential units, to compensate for the missed allowance of €190 from November and December 2022.
The allowance for households with a block connection is determined on two occasions, so that it can move if energy prices rise or fall during the year. The amounts for the compensation in the second half of 2023 are therefore not yet known. The minimum fees have been announced earlier.
Applications from April 25
The regulation will be published in the Government Gazette at the beginning of April. The aim is to open the scheme on 25 April. From that moment on, the contract holder of the block connection, usually a VVE, housing association or landlord, can apply for the allowance for the households involved.
Complex arrangement
The broad target group with many different situations makes it complex to make a scheme in a short time. In doing so, the government must weigh up different interests, such as speed, taking into account all the different situations and preventing fraud. This means that there are risks associated with the scheme. Nevertheless, the government considers it very important to help this group of households, which in some cases are extra vulnerable to the high energy prices, as quickly as possible. The government has therefore chosen to accept these risks and to start the temporary scheme as soon as possible.