Climate Plan: a new energy bonus is on the way. Here’s who it’s for and when it starts
The benefit is intended for 4.7 million households with an ISEE of less than 25,000 euros and will come into effect in 2028 for a period of four years
Key points
A new energy bonus is set to be introduced as part of the social climate plan, which was examined by the Council of Ministers in recent days and will now be forwarded to Brussels for formal negotiations with a view to its subsequent approval.
The plan, which has a budget of 9.3 billion, is intended to set out the measures and investments required to mitigate the economic impacts resulting from the introduction of ETS2 (Emissions Trading System 2). Of this, 7 billion euros comes from the Climate Social Fund and the remaining 2.3 billion from national co-financing.
The plan’s priorities
The new bonus is one of the priorities set out in the plan: the energy-efficiency refurbishment of social housing and the premises of micro-enterprises; support for the electrification of domestic energy consumption; the expansion and improved accessibility of public transport; and, indeed, temporary income support through the ‘Social Energy Plus’ bonus, which will benefit around 4.7 million households each year between 2028 and 2031, with the subsidy being automatically applied to their energy bills.
The purpose of the benefit
The scheme will therefore come into effect in 2028, but who is it aimed at and how will it work? According to the document, the measure forms part of the support measures accompanying the initial phase of implementation of the new carbon pricing system ‘and is coordinated with the structural measures provided for in the plan, with a view to ensuring complementarity between direct support and structural reductions in consumption’.
The bonus is designed to mitigate the economic impact on vulnerable households of extending the ETS2 system to the buildings sector. The measure is therefore intended to ensure that essential energy costs – specifically domestic heating – can be met during the initial phase of the energy transition
