ANP
NOS News•Tuesday, 8:14 PM•Adjusted Tuesday, 8:35 PM
In the space of a day and a half, more than 20,000 applications have already been made for the Temporary Energy Emergency Fund. Households with low incomes and a high energy bill are entitled to this, they have been able to register for this since yesterday. The number of applications on the first day last year was ‘only’ 1,700.
For eligible households, part of the energy costs will be paid monthly for six months. The scheme has been relaxed since this year, allowing more households to rely on the emergency fund. The application procedure has also been simplified, after it proved to be too complicated for many people last year.
A spokesperson for the Emergency Fund said that it was already clear that there would be great interest in the energy support. About 40,000 households have already informed the fund in recent weeks that they are interested. “The energy price ceiling has now been abolished and there will no longer be a general energy surcharge,” the spokesperson said.
The Energy Emergency Fund is well known and has proven its usefulness. Partly because of this, outgoing Minister Schouten of Poverty Policy expects around 70,000 applications. Last year, a total of around 50,000 households used the energy emergency fund, which together received 43.7 million euros in support.
60 million available
60 million euros are available for the Emergency Fund, of which 40 million comes from the government and 20 million from energy companies. If necessary, the government and energy suppliers can release another 30 million euros.
Single-person households are eligible if they earn a gross maximum of 3,200 euros per month. For cohabiting couples, this amount has been set at a joint 4,480 euros. These people receive financial support if the energy bill amounts to more than 8 to 10 percent of the gross income, which means they fall within the term ‘energy poverty’.
If the application is approved, the fund will deposit the amount above 8 to 10 percent of the account for six months. They transfer this directly to the energy supplier, where it does not matter which supplier someone has.
