Only 30-35% of those who would be eligible to use the bonus on electricity, water and gas, present the necessary request to obtain it.
it is certified byArera, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment, which asks the Government and Parliament to remedy a paradoxical situation, making the perception of the discount automatic which for families in economic and physical difficulty could result in annual savings of up to 500 euros. The novelty could be achieved through the approval of a law that "allows the exchange of necessary data between administrations to guarantee their use to all those entitled, eliminating all the bureaucratic steps necessary today for families".
BONUS LIGHT, GAS AND WATER: THE DATA
The data provided by Arera in support of your request speak for themselves. According to the "Report to the Minister of Economic Development on the state of implementation of the electricity and gas social bonus for 2018", only three out of 10 potential recipients - equal to 795.566 households - took advantage of the electricity bonus. Not only that, the level of coverage "tends to be higher in the central-northern regions (with the exception of Lazio) and particularly low in some southern regions and in the islands, where instead the number of potential recipients is higher", explains the Authority. Similar trends also for the gas bonus, with 519.375 households benefiting from it, and for the water bonus which in the first six months of operation recorded only 240 applications, a very small number considering the potential audience.
BONUS LIGHT, GAS AND WATER: WHO HAS THE RIGHT
To understand how undersized the numbers above are, it is necessary to understand who can receive the bonuses. According to the provisions of the law, the discount is available to families with at least three children who have presented an ISEE of less than 20 thousand euros or families with fewer than three children who have presented an ISEE of less than 8.107 euros.
In numbers, according to the Arera, let's talk about 2,2 million households which "considering their average size of 3,1 members, correspond to approximately 6,8 million individuals", clarifies the Authority.
BONUS LIGHT, WATER AND GAS ARERA'S PROPOSAL
By virtue of the above data, Arera has proposed to apply the bonuses automatically. "The request - explains the Authority - is based on the observation that those who could benefit from the bonus use this instrument in a scarce way, also in consideration of the recent rules on the assignment of concessions to those entitled to a citizen's income".
How to do it? Through a procedure which, through a regulatory intervention, ensures the consent "of the interested party to the interaction between the INPS databases and the energy, gas and water databases (Integrated Information System and Territorial Water Registry) for the supply of social bonuses, enhancing the role of municipal administrations in supporting and informing citizens"
In doing so, the effective audience could approach the potential one, guaranteeing families economic support to cover energy and water costs.
