- This figure represents an increase of 11% in beneficiaries – Endesa's customers – compared to the previous year.
- This assistance is intended for pensioners, large families, people in vulnerable situations and those affected by the economic crisis resulting from COVID-19.
- Families with a social bonus – unless it is because they are large families – need to renew it every two years to verify that they continue to meet the allocation criteria defined by the Central Government. During this first quarter of 2022, more than 10,800 customers in Catalonia will need to process an application for renewal.
- Endesa would like to remind them that they need to renew the assistance to be able to continue benefiting from the discount and calls on citizens to encourage those who meet the requirements to fill in a request.
More than 97,700 Catalan families have signed up for the social bonus, 11% more than a year ago. This is confirmed by the latest data from Endesa at the end of 2021, of which about 54,200 families are vulnerable and have a 60% reduction in their bill for electricity consumption, whilst 43,500 are severely vulnerable and enjoy a 70% reduction. These discounts, the result of the approval of the new RDL 23/2021, of October 26, will be valid until April 30, 2022. After this date, the discounts will again be 25% for vulnerable customers and 40% for the severely vulnerable, as established by the regulations.
In absolute terms and compared to the previous year (2020), there are 9,781 more customers who have been able to benefit from the assistance established by the social bonus in 2021. Also, if we take into account the total number of assignments (97,732), 58% were renewals and 42% new requests.
With regard to typology, 52% were people who were vulnerable in accordance with income criteria, 42% were large families, 5% were pensioners, and 1% corresponded to groups especially affected by the economic crisis resulting from COVID-19 who were able to benefited from this assistance which will remain in force until 28 February 28, unless the Government extends it.
Of the total number of clients, 55% were considered vulnerable by the Ministry and 45% were considered severely vulnerable.
In addition to these two categories, those severely vulnerable customers being assisted by the Administration's Social Services and who, as a result, were considered to be at risk of social exclusion, will not need to be responsible for paying the invoice provided the Administration finances at least 50% of the amount. Once it has been accredited by the Social Services accredit and they take responsibility for co-financing it, Endesa will assume the other 50% as established by the Royal Decree governing the Social Bonus. This will enable customers not to incur any debt on the bill and, as a result, their electricity supply will not be cut off.
Renewal of the Social Bonus
As established by the regulations, beneficiaries of this discount need to process a renewal application every two years in order to verify that they continue to meet the criteria for allocation defined by the central government and so continue to enjoy the discount on the electricity bill. In this regard, in Catalonia Endesa processes an average of 8,000 monthly applications for Social Bonus, of which 70% are resolved favourably by the Ministry of Ecological Transition with a validity of two years, except in the case of large families, which are subject to having a valid "large family card".
This means that during the first quarter of 2022 there were 10,872 families in Catalonia whose Social Bonus expired. Endesa is urging their renewal through information campaigns consisting of direct messages to the customers involved (by e-mail, SMS and together with any electricity bills that are issued before the expiration date), dissemination in the media and working jointly with the Social Services in the territory. The objective is to remind people to renew the social bonus, and to make it easier because, if it is not renewed on time, the beneficiary will stop receiving the discount and will have to request it again.
How to process it
The social bonus can be processed through an app (EnergíaXXI Social Bonus), by e-mail (bonosocial@energiaxxi.com), the customer service telephone (800 760 333), the website on https://www.energiaxxi.com/homexxi-ca and by post. Those who prefer may also process it in person at the service points and commercial offices that are distributed throughout Catalonia.
When Endesa receives the documentation, a specialised team responds to the applications and confirming whether all the necessary documents have been received. If any documents are missing, the customer is informed and then the file is sent to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge to be assigned. Finally, the company is responsible for informing the customer of the Ministry's decision.
On the www.energiaxxi.com/bo-social website you will find comprehensive information about this discount, from the specific requirements to be able to benefit from it to the documentation required to process it.
Continuity of supply
The regulations also protect vulnerable households that, despite benefitting from the Social Bonus, are still unable to pay the bill. The Energy Sector Act stipulates that service cannot be interrupted in a household where there is at least one child under the age of 16, or where the contract holder or one of the members of his or her household is a person with a disability equal to or greater than 33% or with grade II or III dependency. In these cases, social services should issue a certificate verifying these circumstances for presentation to the supplier.
What is the Social Bonus?
The Social Bonus is a discount on the electricity bill regulated by current legislation that aims to protect households considered to be vulnerable because of their social-economic conditions. Although it is processed by the supplier, it is the Spanish Government who assigns the bonus, once it has verified compliance with the criteria. The cost of the discount applied to the customers' bill is assumed by the supplier. This helps the most disadvantaged groups to be able to pay their bills. Beneficiaries of the Social Bonus for electricity are given more time to deal with unpaid bills than other consumers (a period of four months from the first notification of non-payment, compared to the general period of two months).
To qualify for the Social Bonus it is essential to be a customer of a listed supplier, to be the holder of a contract with a PVPC electricity tariff (with or without a discount for off-peak use) and a power equal to or less than 10 kW in the habitual residence, as well as meeting other specific requirements detailed in the attached table.
About Endesa
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end business from generation to marketing and through Endesa X also offers value-added services aimed at the decarbonisation of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and public administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and therefore strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the electrification of the economy and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. We have a workforce of 9,600 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.