The supplement of 1,300 euros does not reach the tens of thousands of ‘energy poor’

• Bas de Vries

  Research editor

In the four main cities alone, it is estimated that around 26,000 families have not yet benefited from energy supplement of 1,300 euros, while they are entitled to it due to their low income.

In response to questions from the NOS, the municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht give different explanations in this regard. Rotterdam sees “especially the elderly” who do not use the energy supplement.

Amsterdam and Utrecht underline that the energy surcharge can also be requested by some workers with a small salary, who do not realize that they are also entitled to compensation for the explosive increase in the gas and electricity bill.

To change this, Utrecht is conducting a “city-wide communication campaign” this month to report the scheme to rights holders and to ensure that they actually apply for it, says a spokesperson. Rotterdam goes to the neighborhoods with a ‘promo team’ that alerts the elderly to the existence of the energy allowance and immediately helps with questions.

Experiences in larger cities do not stand alone: ​​even a municipality likes it Zaanstad announced this week that 2,150 residents have left the allowance for a total amount of nearly 2.8 million euros. Recent search for Omroep West it gives the impression that the energy surcharge reaches fewer people in many smaller municipalities than in large cities.

From this summer’s research of by the National Ombudsman It has already been shown that seniors are difficult to reach for these types of benefits. As a result, they sometimes unnecessarily live below the social minimum. They are unknown to the municipality, do not have sufficient digital skills, find minimum wage arrangements too complicated or have a lack of trust in the government and would prefer to deal with it themselves.

When applying for energy allowances, the specific problem for many seniors is that municipalities are asking to use DigiD. Many seniors do not have them or do not know how to request them. Not all municipalities offer easy-to-find alternatives for this.

The Municipality of The Hague notes that some residents “in principle do not ask for services”. In addition, this municipality believes that some eligible holders are refraining from applying because they have a fixed energy tariff for a longer period of time and are not yet affected by the price increases.

Incidentally, the big cities are quite satisfied with the number of people who benefit from the energy surcharge, which is financed by the government, but must be requested from the municipality. They say they are able to reach more than 80 to more than 90 percent of the rights holders with this deal.

Anyone who is eligible for social assistance or other income arrangements will automatically receive the benefit. They also write to people and provide information through neighborhood newspapers, among other things.

A range of more than 8 out of 10 is high compared to the scope of most benefits for the least. In Amsterdam, for example, 72 percent use the “city pass”. with which you can go to the cinema, theater, museums or swimming at a discount.

“The energy supplement is already the minimum allocation with by far the highest flow rate in our city,” says a spokesperson for the municipality of The Hague. The fact that it is a national scheme that has made a lot of news and is urgently needed by many families in the current circumstances also probably plays an important role.

The municipalities underline that with these types of structures there will always be families who will not want to use them. However, they will do their best in the coming months to reach people before January 1st.