Although energy prices have stabilized recently, the heating costs are still structurally higher than for the Russians invaded Ukraine in 2022 and the Netherlands started to use much less Russian gas. That is why the government has decided to extend the Emergency Fund Energy. In this way, households with a small wallet and high energy bill are relieved. You can read that on Friday in a letter to parliament from State Secretary Jurgen Nobel (Participation and Integration, VVD), Minister Dirk Beljaarts (Economic Affairs, PVV) and Minister Eddy van Hijum (Social Affairs, NSC).
The Emergency Fund Energie already existed in 2023 and 2024. Last year, more than one hundred thousand households were able to count on a 97 euro subsidy from the money pot every month. It was about people who earn the social minimum less than twice and more than 10 percent of their gross income spend on energy.
But this year the support measure seemed to come to an end. The government was willing to make sixty million euros a year, but expected that energy companies and network operators would also contribute. Because network operators also have to invest a lot in the expansion of the power grid, it was by no means certain whether they agreed with the government’s request.
In the meantime, the energy sector has announced that it wants to cover the implementation costs of 10.70 million euros. Formally, the financial support still has to be discussed with the shareholders of the network operators.
Incidentally, it can at least take eight weeks before displaced households can submit an application again. In the letter to Parliament, the ministers write that they realize that it is already mid -February and households do not dare to put the heating on during the cold days for fear of high costs and say they are going hard.