The energy check makes it possible to reduce the energy bill, but it also offers several other advantages that are often overlooked.
Between March 31, 2023 and the end of April, nearly six million low-income French households will receive a energy check, financial aid of between €48 and €277. Valid for a full year, until March 31, 2024, it is obviously used to pay part of the gas or electricity bills, but it has other unknown uses. We tell you everything below.
The energy check helps to reduce the energy bill
Like many services of this type, eligibility for the energy check depends on household income and composition. This takes the reference tax income, per consumption unit (CU), appearing on the tax notice – 1 unit for the first person in the household, the second counts for 0.5 and each additional person for 0, 3 -. The energy check is only awarded to households whose reference tax income does not exceed €10,800 for a single person or €16,200 for a couple. To find out if you are entitled to it, go to the website of the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition.
The other advantages of the energy check
With this check, you can obviously reduce your energy bill, but thanks to this check, you are also entitled to additional protection around your electricity and/or gas contract. For example, during a move, you are exempted from paying the costs of commissioning electricity and/or gas in the new accommodation. You are also protected during the winter break from electricity or gas cuts for unpaid bills. The electricity supplier can however reduce the power of the electricity meter to the minimum level (3 kVA or 2 kVA).
Excluding the winter break period, this eligibility for the energy check also makes it possible to benefit from an 80% reduction on the billing of the trip of a technician following an interruption in the supply of energy linked to an unpaid bill (a reduction in power or a power suspension). Last advantage granted with the energy check, no costs related to a rejection of payment can be invoiced to you by a supplier.
Benefits often overlooked, but which can be very useful. To take advantage of these protections, you must send a copy of your certificate, received in the envelope of the energy check, to the supplier. Note, if the supplier has already been paid with an energy check, there is no need to send it to him. You should also know that once these protections have been activated by the supplier, they are maintained for the following years on all of your contracts, as long as you are entitled to the energy check, of course.