The Government extends the social bonus to reduce the electricity bill for families with incomes of up to 27,720 euros- NIUS
A person warms his hands on a radiator.
It will mean up to 40% savings on the electricity bill and working families with medium-low incomes will benefit
The measure described as “extraordinary” will last until the end of 2023
The Government has called it the “energy justice electric bond”
The government has created expanded the category of the social bonus by which households with workers with lower average incomes will be able to have a 40% discount on the electricity bill.
This new social bonus can be requested from single-person households with income of 16,800 euros per year to homes with two adults and two minors with an annual income of up to 27,720 euros.
The bonus is for households that are not considered vulnerable but do suffer from rising energy prices and whose income is not enough to pay electricity and gas bills. The Minister for Energy Transition and Third Vice President, Teresa Ribera, has called it “energy justice electric bond”.
More families benefited
“We created a rate that middle classes and workers can benefit, that they are not groups that until now we considered vulnerable”, said Ribera.
In fact, those people who double the IPREM (Public Indicator of Income for Multiple Effects), which is the reference index in Spain for the allocation of aid and subsidies based on income, may request it. In fact, the government has created different income levels who can benefit from this new social bonus. None can exceed 27,720 euros per year.
In the case of an adult it is only 16,800 euros. 19,320 in the case of two adults and 25,200 in the case of a minor and an adult. In the case of two adults and two minors, it is extended to 27,720 euros.
The Ministry of Energy Transition estimates that more than one and a half million households will benefit from the reduction in the electricity bill. This bonus can be requested once the decree law appears published in the BOE.
The Executive has warned that the measure has an expiration date. It is a “temporary and extraordinary” measure, the third vice president recalled. The extended social bonus will be in force until December 2023.
Reinforced social bonus
In addition, protection for vulnerable households is increased. A 65% discount on the bill for vulnerable households, that is, they earn 1.5 less than what is set by the IPREM and savings of up to 80% for very vulnerable households, those who do not reach that figure.
For her part, Teresa Ribera has not ruled out further measures to combat the current energy crisis, but they will be taken “depending on how circumstances evolve.”
