Help with heating and gas bills (bono social térmico) and regional aid

Terms used

• Bono social eléctrico — The bono social eléctrico is a discount on electricity bills for vulnerable households.
• Servicios sociales — The servicios sociales are the local social services office, which often handles applications for emergency aid.
• IBI — The IBI is the yearly local property tax.
• Ayuntamiento — The ayuntamiento is your town hall.
• Empadronado — Being empadronado means you are registered as living at an address in your municipality.

Key rules

• No application: You do not apply for the bono social térmico; it is paid automatically to bono social eléctrico holders.
• Payment: It is paid once a year by bank transfer, so keep your bank details registered with the tax agency or social security.
• Amount: Your amount depends on climate zone and vulnerability level, and the total is set every year.
• Regional and town aid: Extra aid depends on your region and town, and you usually apply through the servicios sociales.

What the bono social térmico is

The bono social térmico is a yearly cash payment from the state. It helps vulnerable households pay for heating, hot water and cooking, whatever the energy source: gas, butane, wood and so on. It is separate from the electricity discount.

You qualify if you hold the bono social eléctrico. Households classed as severe or extreme vulnerable get a higher level.

How you get it

You do not apply. The administration uses the lists of bono social eléctrico holders and pays eligible households automatically.

Payment is made once a year by bank transfer. It usually goes to the bank account you have given the tax agency or social security. Some regions use another payment method. If no bank account is known for you, you will be contacted.

So the practical steps are to hold the bono social eléctrico and to make sure your bank details are registered with the tax agency or social security.

How much you get

The amount depends on your climate zone (A to E, from the national building code) and your vulnerability level (vulnerable, severe or extreme). Colder zones and higher vulnerability mean more money. The total is set every year, so check the current table with MITECO, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition.

Who runs it

The state funds it through MITECO, which sets the rules and the budget. The autonomous communities, and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, administer and pay it with money transferred from MITECO. The Basque Country and Navarre handle it under their own arrangements. If you have a question about your payment, start with your regional government.

Regional aid

Many regions add their own help. What exists depends on where you live, and amounts and call dates change every year. Examples:

• Emergency aid for overdue bills, such as Catalonia's energy poverty aid and its ban on supply cut-offs, or Andalusia's social emergency aid.
• Heating aid, for example in Castilla y León and Galicia.
• Subsidies for efficient appliances or insulation for low-income households, for example in Madrid and Valencia.
• Energy advice offices and protection against supply cut-offs.
• Top-ups to the bono social térmico.

Town hall aid

If you are registered at your address (empadronado), your town hall may offer:

• Emergency social aid (ayudas de emergencia social) for electricity, gas or water bills.
• Help from the town hall in talking to your energy company to avoid a cut-off.
• Energy advice points, such as Barcelona's Punts d'Assessorament Energètic.
• Local tax rebates, such as IBI reductions for solar panels or efficiency improvements, and for large families.

Applications usually go through the local servicios sociales office. Offers vary widely by town and year, so ask your ayuntamiento what is open now.

Where to look

Search your regional government's portal under social services, housing or energy. Then visit your town hall's servicios sociales. Regional or municipal energy agencies can also help. If you do not know where to start, call 060, the citizen helpline. The checklist and questions below go through the steps.

Checklist

• Confirm you hold the bono social eléctrico, because the bono social térmico is paid automatically to its holders and needs no application.

• Check that your bank account is registered with the tax agency or social security, so the yearly transfer reaches you.

• Look up your climate zone (A to E) and your vulnerability level to see which amount applies to you.

• Visit your town hall's servicios sociales office to ask about emergency aid, energy advice points and local tax reductions.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays the bono social térmico, the state or my region?

Your autonomous community normally administers and pays it, while the state funds it. The Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO) sets the rules and budget and transfers the money to the regions, including Ceuta and Melilla.

What if the tax agency or social security has no bank account for me?

If no bank account is known, you are contacted to arrange payment. Payment is made once a year by bank transfer, usually to the account you have given the tax agency or social security. Your community may use another method instead.

What kinds of regional energy aid exist besides the bono social térmico?

Regions offer several kinds of help, and what is on offer differs by region. Examples are emergency aid for overdue bills (Catalonia, Andalusia), heating aid (Castilla y León, Galicia), and subsidies for efficient appliances or insulation (Madrid, Valencia and others). Some regions also add a supplement to the bono social térmico.

What can my town hall do about energy bills?

Many town halls give emergency social aid to pay electricity, gas or water bills. They may also mediate with your supplier to avoid a cut-off, run energy advice points, and cut local taxes such as IBI (the property tax) for solar or efficiency work or for large families. You usually apply through the local servicios sociales, and you normally need to be registered in the town (empadronado).