The electricity social bonus does not reach all the families that need it, which means that it is not fulfilling its function properly. In fact, Almost 8 out of 10 potential beneficiaries did not receive this aid in 2022a coverage rate that barely reaches 24.5% of citizens who could receive it, according to a report by Esade-Oxfam.
The data is even more shocking if analyzed only low incomes, where coverage is 20% and those who have one minimum pension: only 9.2% of them receive the bonus.
As a result, although 2 out of 3 beneficiaries were low-income1 in 3 people who receive it is not. In fact, among large-family households with medium-high income, more than 60% receive the bonus. For those with low income, only 40%.
Although coverage has improved somewhat compared to 2021 (23.2%) and 2020 (22.6%), it only reaches average figures for large families, for which it covers 45.5% of those who need this help.
And that despite the fact that Spain is one of the countries where energy poverty has increased the most. According to data collected by the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub, Spain is, along with Portugal, the European country with the highest percentage of households that reported not being able to keep their homes at an adequate temperature in the winter months, a figure that has tripled between 2019 and 2023 to exceed 20%.
In addition, 1 in 10 households have late payments on utility bills, 40% more than in 2019, the document states. Therefore, if all potential beneficiaries are reached, the number of households that currently have the voucher would increase from more than 1.6 million to more than 5 million.
The coverage gap between single-parent and dual-parent households has widened in recent years: if in 2020 there was a 3.5 point differencein 2022 there were already 12 points (20% – 32%).
In contrast, in 2022, coverage for households with all members born in Spain was double that of households with someone born abroad (27% versus 13%).
For households with rental housing, the gap has remained at 8-10 points over these three years (19% coverage in 2022 versus 27% for home-owning households).
Based on these parameters, having a large family has the greatest positive effect on receiving the social bonus, as it increases the probability of receiving it by +27%.
On the other hand, being in a low-income household only increases the chances by +4%.
At the other extreme, the factor that has the most significant negative effect on the probability of receiving the bonus is the presence of a foreign-born member: it reduces it by -12%.
The social electricity bonus consists of a discount on bills aimed at households with difficulties in covering their energy needs. To receive it, the household must have a contracted power of less than 10 kilowatts, at a regulated rate, and meet one of the following requirements: for 2022, it was necessary to have an income of less than 8,106 euros, be a large family, be a household made up of pensioners with the minimum amount in force and not receive other income exceeding 500 euros per year.
Once granted, the bonus guarantees a Discount between 25% and 80% according to household characteristics.