site.btaCaretaker Labour Minister Ademov Details Energy Poverty Support Measures

The ordinance on energy poverty provides for direct financial support for energy-poor households and energy-efficiency policies, Caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policy Hasan Ademov said at a briefing at the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. It defines the status of households in energy poverty and regulates the building and functioning of an information system for people who need support, Ademov added.

He said applications are filed with the Social Assistance Directorate at the Agency for Social Assistance and are automatically checked against the public registers of more than ten institutions, including the Agency for Social Assistance, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the National Health Insurance Fund, after which a digital output is generated on the basis of which Agency for Social Assistance staff and the so-called energy mediators notify electricity distribution companies and vulnerable individuals and households. The proposed measures include both direct financial support and recommendations for participation in measures and policies for home renovation and improving energy efficiency, Ademov added.

Ademov said the determining factor is households’ average monthly income after energy consumption costs are deducted. If the remaining amount is lower than the poverty line, which this year stands at EUR 390.63, those households qualify as energy-poor. Vulnerable customers are people with permanent disabilities involving more than 50% reduced working capacity who were included in the lists for energy support in the previous year, all people receiving monthly social benefits, and people who have certificates from the medical assessment authorities showing that their electricity supply cannot be interrupted because this would endanger their lives.