The State proposes excluding large families with high incomes from the electricity social bonus

The Spanish government wants to exclude large families with high incomes from the social electricity tariff. This is outlined in the Spanish strategy against energy poverty 2026-2030, which the Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday, according to ministry sources. This strategy aims to work with stakeholders in the sector to ensure that families entitled to this discount on their electricity bills receive it, while also changing the current situation in which many high-income households receive it. The strategy will stipulate that the conditions and criteria for the social electricity tariff include a link to household income, to ensure "that it reaches those who need it most," according to the ministry. However, to implement this reform, the Spanish government will have to amend a royal decree and establish the income criterion specifically for large families. Currently, families with large family status can access the electricity social bonus regardless of their income level (income is only taken into account in the case of large families recognized as severely vulnerable, thus receiving greater assistance), as is the case with other social policies that offer discounts for holding this status. Who receives this bonus?

The electricity social voucher grants discounts on electricity bills to low-income consumers who have a regulated electricity tariff, known as PVPC. Depending on the consumer's vulnerability, the discounts range from 42.5% for vulnerable profiles to 57.5% for severely vulnerable consumers. In addition, families benefiting from this electricity social voucher also receive the thermal social voucher, a direct annual payment that depends on the climate zone and ranges from €25 to €400. According to data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, coverage of the social voucher has grown by 60% between 2018 and 2025, increasing from 1.07 million households to 1.72 million. The new strategy against energy poverty has four pillars. The first is the creation of an energy poverty observatory to centralize and maintain information on the subject and to exchange knowledge among experts. The second pillar, aimed at consumer protection, has four measures: guaranteeing supply to vulnerable and electro-dependent individuals; improving coverage of the social tariff, which has grown by 60% since 2018, from 1.07 million households to 1.72 million currently; facilitating access to the social tariff by eliminating commercial practices such as penalties for early termination for consumers who switch to the regulated tariff (PVPC) with a social tariff; and requiring written confirmation when a consumer with a PVPC and social tariff wishes to leave the system.

Energy Rehabilitation

A third pillar of the strategy focuses on improving the energy conditions and rehabilitation of homes for vulnerable families and promoting their inclusion in energy communities, as well as boosting climate shelters and cooling to protect families from heat waves and cold spells. Energy efficiency measures for vulnerable consumers will also be encouraged, and it is intended that 12% of all savings from the Energy Saving Certificate (CAE) system will go to vulnerable households. The final pillar emphasizes the need for greater coordination between different government bodies, with specific energy advice points for vulnerable families and promoting the identification of energy poverty cases by social services.