The aid of the thermal social bonus rises: what it is, how to request it, requirements and amount

13 Oct. (EDITIONS) –

The Government announced this Thursday an extension of the thermal social bonus, a direct aid that is made in a single annual payment for vulnerable consumers and that is designed to offset the costs of energy supply for thermal uses, such as heating and hot water sanitary (bath, shower, etc) or for cooking.

Pedro Sánchez has detailed that the aid will grow from the range of 35 euros to 350 euros per year in which it currently stands (depending on the climatic zone of the beneficiary) to a range of between 40 euros and 375 euros per year.

WHAT DOES THE HELP CONSIST OF?

The aid is paid in a single annual payment and directly into the beneficiary’s current account, the same one in which the electricity bill is directly debited.

The amount of aid depends on two main factors: the degree of vulnerability of the beneficiary and the climatic zone in which their habitual residence is located.

Among the measures announced this Thursday is greater support for the current social bond, to which 1.3 million households are covered. There will be an increase in the discount percentage currently applied to vulnerable consumers, from 60% to 65%.

There will also be an increase in the discount for severely vulnerable consumers, which will go from 70% to 80%. In this way, a 15% increase in the amount of energy entitled to these discounts is expected.

HOW TO ASK FOR THE THERMAL SOCIAL BONUS?

Beneficiaries of the Thermal Social Bonus, without the need to carry out any procedure or application, are the beneficiaries of the Electric Social Bonus as of December 31 of the previous year, as well as those who, before said date, had submitted the complete application and if it was finally resolved favorably, as described by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge on its website.

Before January 15 of each year, the Reference Distributors send a list of their customers who are beneficiaries of the Electric Social Bonus as of December 31 of the previous year to determine the amount of the aid and proceed with its payment.

Based on this information, the territorial distribution of the budget available in the year for this aid is calculated and the amounts are transferred to the autonomous communities, which are ultimately responsible for managing and paying this aid.

WHICH ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?

As indicated above, to be a beneficiary of the Thermal Social Bonus, you must be a beneficiary of the Electric Social Bonus.

In this sense, to be a beneficiary of the Electricity Social Bonus, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge indicates that it is necessary to have electricity contracted in the regulated market, that is, with the voluntary price for the small consumer (PVPC) in the usual residence.

In addition, it is necessary to comply with the established personal, family and income conditions. In that sense, these requirements are to be considered a vulnerable consumer, severely vulnerable or at risk of social exclusion.

WHAT IS CONSIDERED A VULNERABLE CONSUMER?

To be considered a vulnerable consumer, the joint annual income of the cohabitation unit must be equal to or less than 1.5 times the Public Indicator of Income for Multiple Effects (IPREM) of 14 payments (8,106.28 euros).

Those who hold the title of large family will also be considered as such.

Another case is that the consumer himself and, in the case of being part of a cohabitation unit, all the members of the same who have income, are pensioners due to retirement or permanent disability, receiving the minimum amount in force at each moment for said classes. pension, and do not receive other income whose annual aggregate amount exceeds 500 euros.

It can also be included in this group when the person or a member of their cohabitation unit is a beneficiary of the minimum vital income.

Likewise, attention must be paid to other situations, such as those who have been victims of gender-based violence or cohabitation units in which there is only one parent and at least one minor, given that the amounts of the IPREM that give access to the bonus vary.

Along these lines, the consideration of a severely vulnerable consumer also meets criteria linked to the IPREM.

In addition, a consumer at risk of social exclusion will be defined as a consumer who meets the requirements to be severely vulnerable and who is cared for by the social services of a regional or local Administration that finances at least 50% of the amount of their bill.

WHAT ARE THE CLIMATE ZONES?

One of the factors that will determine the final amount of the aid, beyond the type of consumer, is the climatic zone in which the applicant’s habitual residence is located. There are 6 different zones: alpha, A, B, C, D and E. The amounts in the alpha zone are lower and higher in zone E.

To get an idea, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is an alpha zone; Cádiz belongs to zone A; Cartagena and Ceuta to B; Barcelona, ​​Bilbao and Vigo are climatic zone C; Madrid, Zaragoza and Lugo are included in D; and Molina de Aragón (Guadalajara) is zone E.