The Government strengthens discounts for the most vulnerable and creates a new category for low-income workers | Cuts the gas bill of consumers with central heating in half by assimilating their rate to the regulated one
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Thursday in Congress a new energy package to “protect the 40% of households” which will mobilize 3,000 million euros and will include the Reinforcement of the electric and thermal social bonus and the reduction of the gas bill for the neighboring communities. The measurements had been announced by the Third Vice President and Minister for Energy Transition, Theresa Rivera, earlier this week, in the presentation of the contingency plan, but Sánchez has been in charge this Thursday of transmitting the detail. These are some of the keys, in the absence of knowing more data, such as when they will come into force.
New category of electricity bonus
The main novelty is the create a new category electric social bond for “low-income working households” who will benefit from a discount on the electricity bill of 40%. It is still unknown what low income means for the Executive, but the measure will reach 1.5 million homes, according to Sanchez.
In order to benefit from the electric social voucher, in any category, consumers must have a regulated ratethe so-called Voluntary Price for Small Consumers (PVPC), which is contracted through calls reference marketers (Endesa Energía XXI, Curenergía, Gas & Power, Baser, Régsiti, Energy Reference Marketer, Teramelcor and Energía Ceuta XXI). It is important to know that it is not an automatic help, but rather must be requested.
It is not the first time that a temporary new category. It was also done during the pandemic, to help those workers who, as a result of the coronavirus, were unemployed, furloughed, on reduced hours, or with a family member in those circumstances and did not have a minimum monthly income.
More discounts for vulnerable consumers
Another novelty is the extension of the discount electric and thermal social voucher they currently receive 1.3 million households in Spain. The first is a discount on the electricity bill (always speaking of the regulated rate that is aimed at small consumers) for vulnerable and severely vulnerable consumers of between 25% and 40% that with the energy crisis temporarily rose to between 60% and 70%. Now the Government reinforces it again up to 65% and 80%.
The requirements depend on the income level of the family unit (from 1.5 times the IPREM in 14 payments) and the number of members of each family. Any questions can be resolved on this website. In the case of large families, they can be beneficiaries of the social bonus for vulnerable consumers, that is, the current 65% discount, regardless of your income.
To get an idea of the effect of this measure, according to Sánchez, these consumers They paid in August invoice similar to that before the crisis. In addition, it raises 15% the amount of energy entitled to this discount, It depends on each of the categories. this help run by power companies which, in turn, pass it on to their customers.
On the other hand, the beneficiaries of the electricity voucher automatically receive the thermal, a kind of ‘cheque’ for the winter months that is borne by the Budgets. The Executive increased this aid for the 2023 PGE by 102 million euros, up to a total of 259 million euros. This will mean that the average aid rises to 375 euros per household Y The minimum will be raised to 40 euros.
Gas rebate for central heating
Sánchez has also advanced the creation of a new regulated rate (TUR) for neighborhood communities with centralized natural gas boilers that will limit up to end of 2023 the quarterly price increaseas is now the case with the regulated tariff for individual users, known as TUR. This measure affects 1.7 million households that you will see how your bill this winter will be will reduce by more than half of what it would pay under current market conditions, according to Sánchez.
The problem with so-called central heating is that the Neighbor communities must hire a free market rate for ‘large consumers’ because of its size and energy demand –more than 50,000 kilowatts per year– they cannot qualify for regulated tariff (TUR) aimed at domestic consumers that the government ‘intervened’ in september last year to limit the rise in the price of the raw material, which is updated every quarter, to 15%.