The government created new category social bond 40% discount for low-income working households electricity bill and a new regulated gas rate for neighboring communities with a central gas boiler, as well as increasing the efficiency requirements of public lighting.
This Tuesday, the Cabinet approved a royal decree law that includes new measures to mitigate the impact of high energy prices on consumers.
Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition, said after the weekly meeting of the Executive Board, that this is the tenth royal decree the Government has passed since June 2021 to protect families and the productive fabric. invoice fixed cost discountsincreased protection for the most vulnerable and a cap on gas for electric or Iberian mechanism.
Potential beneficiaries of the new last resort rate (TUR) for neighborhood communities that will reduce the gas consumption cost by 50% are: 1.7 million households.
This TUR 4, which has It is temporary and will be in effect until the end of 2023.will cover the equivalent Average consumption of society in the last five years and for excesses above historical consumption, a 25% surcharge will apply to the new rate, which will be divided into eight consumption sub-tractions.
Neighbors community will have to make install individual counters or before October 2023 unless cost sharers are willing to charge an additional 25% in variable consumption period as the community accepts the TUR, unless exempted due to technical feasibility.
The government also extended the 15% limit applied to the increase in raw material prices until the end of 2023 in the revisions of TUR 1, 2 and 3 rates.
In the General Government Budgets (PGE), the neighborhood will be an item of 3,000 million Euros for the TUR implementation and will cover the debt incurred in 2023 by limiting the raw material price for the remainder of the TUR.
The previous debt undertaken by the gas marketers of last resort (Naturgy, Endesa, Iberdrola and TotalEnergies) for one year will be repaid whenever possible and the raw material will not increase by more than 15%.
40% discount
A new category of social ties consisting of The 4% rebate would have 1.5 million working households particularly affected by the crisis as potential beneficiaries. and, in addition to the rest of the categories, the electricity social bonus will cover 40% of Spanish households.
“Energy Justice” bonus
new bonus so-called “energy justice”, It will be temporary and will remain in effect until the end of 2023 and will be accessible to households. Those whose income is between 1.5 and twice the Multi-Impact Income Indicator (IMPREM) 14 payments.
So in 2023 an adult with an annual income of less than 16,800 euros or a family of four with an annual income of less than 27,720 euros, For example.
The government also broadened the scope.Discounts for beneficiaries of existing categories of the social bonus, and increases from 60% to 65% for vulnerable consumers and from 70% to 80% for severely vulnerable consumers.
Also, and as the minister said, this summer with high temperatures and air conditioning use in mind Many families have reached the deductible annual limit on social bonds, it has been decided to extend the limits by 15%.
Minimum quantity thermal social bonus also increases from 25 to 40 euros per yearand the average benefit doubles to 375 euros per year.
In addition, the decrease in profits from marginal power plants (hydraulic, nuclear and some renewables) in the electricity market due to the increase in gas prices has been extended until December 2023.
The discount applies to 90% of the benefits to electricity sold above 67 Euro/megawatt hour (MWh), although the amount collected by this measure, which was approved in September 2021, is not yet known.
Obligations to Companies
In addition, the royal decree will oblige companies that wish to inform customers on the invoice of compensation or correction paid to gas power plants for the implementation of the Iberian mechanism, without error. .
To do this, the BOE will collect the verbatim paragraph they need to put in and force them to report the benefits of the measure, which, according to the Ministry, has already earned consumers 3,000m euros.
Ribera reminded that the transfer of the throttle is not mandatory, companies can decide whether to affect it wholly or partially, but the Manager wants them to do so without “creative qualities” if they report, calling it “creative qualities”. a rate or fee.
The new electricity bills will reach homes from December, as well as the average consumption in the customer’s zip code and The government will allocate 40 million to replace analog gas meters with digital ones so there will be no cost to the customer, while at the same time increasing the efficiency requirements of public lighting.