Light and gas bonus, how much are the bills reduced?

Among the various expenses that burden the pockets of Italians we find that electricity and gas bills. To mitigate the impact, there are bonuses for some groups of people, which accounted for up to 64% of the total amount to be paid in 2022. In addition, the discount reaches a maximum of 776 euros in the 1st quarter of 2023. So the latest observatories SOStariffe.it and Seguigio.it.

Light and Gas Bonus: What They Are

The electricity and gas premiums are tools to help families in financial difficulties pay their bills by guaranteeing a discount on the amount to be paid. With the 1st quarter of 2023, access to social benefits will become even easier. To benefit from the subsidy, it is enough to have an ISEE of less than 9,530 euros or 20,000 euros for families with at least 4 dependent children.

Families with an Isee of less than 15,000 euros can also access the premiums, but at a reduced rate of 80%. The benefits are also open to families with incomes or a citizen’s pension. To access the bonuses it is not necessary to apply as it is enough to have requested the ISEE.

The discount is automatically recognized in the form of a cash discount on the invoice. The actual amount is calculated by Arera on a quarterly basis and depends on the number of family members and (only with the gas bonus) on the climate zone in which the supply is located and on the way in which natural gas is used in the household (plumbing, cooking and/or heating).

There is also an electricity bonus for physical ailments, recognized regardless of income and cumulatively with that for economic ailments, for families forced to use electromedical devices at home (subject to an application to the commune of residence accompanied by a medical certificate confirming the need ). to use the device). In this case, the amount is linked to the additional consumption by the machines and the energy consumed.

The impact on bills

How did these bonuses affect bills? This is what the data provided by Arera tells us, according to which, for electricity, the sum between the regular bonus and the additional bonus results in a discount on the bill of between 182.7 euros and 265.50 euros. The actual amount depends on the number of family members. Choosing the best electricity tariff on the open market can significantly reduce your bills.

A family entitled to 100% of the electricity bonus can significantly reduce the amount of bills before the bonus is applied by activating the cheapest tariff on the free market. The discount defined by Arera for the first quarter of 2023 exceeds the actual invoice amounts to be paid for all three consumption profiles considered in the survey, provided the cheapest electricity tariff on the free market has been activated.

Different situation for them gas bonus. Following the seasonal trend, gas bills for the first quarter of the year are traditionally very high, reaching record highs in the current market conditions. A family that benefits from 100% of the grant amount can significantly reduce winter consumption bills, provided they have activated the best offer on the free market to reduce the cost of raw materials and the amount to be paid before the discount is applied by the concession guaranteed.

The amount of the bonus for the 1st quarter varies between 64.80 euros (family with up to 4 people, climate zone A/B and gas only for hot water and/or cooking) and 511.20 euros (family with more than 4 components, climate zone F and gas, which is also used for heating). In 2022, a year marked by an unprecedented energy crisis, the light bonus helped significantly reduce the size of bills. For a typical household (annual consumption 2,700 kWh), the average expenditure on the electricity bill in 2022 was 1,577 euros. The electricity bonus, which is made up of the quarterly amounts defined by Arera, reached a maximum of 1,015 euros and thus covered almost 65% of the expenses.

The gas bonus played a leading role in lowering bills in 2022. Looking at the sum of the quarterly amounts set by Arera for the subsidy, a “typical family” (residing in Milan and consuming 1,800 Scm a year) recorded an average spending on gas bills of 4,069 euros. For the beneficiaries of the subsidy, the invoice discount was 2,400 euros, covering 58% of the supply costs.