The government said on Wednesday that it would help all households with high energy prices and relieve them of their electricity and gas bills with the new heating season through the so-called savings tariff. How this will work and how much relief will be given is yet to be decided by the cabinet.
“We will help every household with high energy prices this year, regardless of whether they use gas, electricity, or other fuels. We will choose the solution that will be the simplest administratively and ensure help for everyone. In total, some households will receive up to CZK 16,000,” Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela (for STAN) reiterated on Twitter yesterday.
Earlier, he said that the aid would be in the form of fixed amounts. He added that there would be two “payouts,” and suppliers would reduce the amounts on households’ invoices. “We will pay the first part of the aid for electricity and gas at the beginning of October and the second part at the beginning of next year,” Síkela said.
This year, a quarter of the total amount of 66 billion will support the population. The government has measured the quarter for this year by the number of months from October to December. “Therefore, the budget envisages roughly CZK 16.7 billion this year and almost CZK 50 billion next year,” Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS) said.
Contractors are preparing
In addition to the savings tariff, the amounts also include the waiver of fees for renewable energy sources, where households pay CZK 600 for each megawatt-hour consumed, saving them money. At the same time, the government also envisages support for domestic boiler rooms and central heating.
According to Síkela, the government will decide on the final form of the contribution in the form of a savings tariff in the second half of this month. The savings tariff will take the form of a subsidy from the state budget to energy suppliers, which will then reduce households’ payments.