Energy shields for next year. We know how much they can cost

– The energy voucher is currently being paid to citizens and its cost is approximately PLN 1 billion – said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment, on TOK FM on Tuesday.

This year’s energy voucher costs PLN 1 billion

What about freezing energy prices next year? The minister assured that “there will be some shields on electricity prices, we know that for 100 percent.”

– We have everything calculated and I will say this: according to our estimates, the extension of the maximum price next year will cost PLN 4,400 million, said Paulina Hennig-Kloska. She added that we will learn more about the final budget of the shield program after the Economic Committee of the Council of Ministers (a meeting of ministers responsible for economic issues and state finances).

She assured that all politicians of the ruling coalition are interested in maintaining the subsidy program.

– The Prime Minister wants to extend energy shields, party leaders also declared support for this solution. All the more so because – as we can see – it weighs much less in the budget than before. Let me remind you: at the beginning, when we had excess profits of energy companies, these solutions cost PLN 30 billion a year. Today we are talking about 5 billion. The goal, of course, is to overcome them, but also to reduce the costs generated by electricity and heat bills, said the minister.

Hennig-Kloska reminded that the energy voucher is already being paid out – voivodes in twelve voivodeships have already transferred the funds to local governments, and in four more they will do so this week.

Who is the energy voucher for?

The energy voucher aims to support lower-income households in the face of rising electricity costs. This one-off financial support will replace the current shielding allowance and will cover approximately 3.5 million households.

The energy voucher will be awarded to households that meet certain income criteria. Single-person households will be able to receive the benefit if their disposable income does not exceed PLN 2,500 per month. For multi-person households, the disposable income per person cannot exceed PLN 1,700 per month.

How much will the energy voucher be?

Today, the amount of the voucher depends on the number of people in the household. For single-person households, the voucher is PLN 300, for 2-3-person households, PLN 400, for 4-5-person households, PLN 500, and for 6-person and larger households, PLN 600. Households using electricity for heating, which constitutes approximately 5% of all households, will receive a double amount of the benefit, i.e. from PLN 600 to PLN 1,200, depending on the number of people in the household.

Applications for an energy voucher will be accepted from August 1 to September 30, 2024. Application forms will be available on government websites and in municipal offices. Detailed instructions on completing and submitting applications will be available on the websites of relevant institutions (INFOR.PL) (Głos Wielkopolski). Voucher payments are scheduled for fall or winter 2024, intended to provide support during the heating season when energy costs are highest.