Despite being sold out in less than a week, the majority of E-Lars vouchers remained unused. Applications will reopen on the 11th.
A few days before the opening of the new application period for the E-Lar program, only 33% of vouchers allocated for the purchase of electric hobs and ovens were used by consumers, says the .
Although the second phase of the program will be officially announced this Wednesday, applications can only be submitted from December 11th on the Environmental Fund portal. The Government now provides an additional 60.8 million euros to reinforce the fight against energy poverty.
E-Lar launched two months ago and saw strong initial demand, with support for the first phase running out in just six days. However, according to data from the Ministry of Environment and Energy, only 7255 of the 21 662 vouchers validated have been used so far, with a total financed amount of 17.3 million euros. Among these, 3063 were used by consumers with a social energy tariff and 4192 by middle class families without social support.
Given the high demand recorded in the first phase, the Government decided to reinforce the program’s allocation, which went from 51.5 million to 60.8 million of euros, allowing a greater number of families to be covered. As in the previous phase, both consumers and suppliers will have to formalize a new application. Companies interested in participating will be able to express themselves from December 4th, also through the Environmental Fund portal.
One of the novelties of this second phase is the inclusion of a specific budget, integrated into the value of the voucheraimed at supporting families with a social tariff in sealing the gas system and electrical connection of new equipment. In the previous phase, these costs fell entirely on the beneficiaries.
Additional charges, however, continue to be one of the main obstacles to membership. The need to bear installation costs and VAT, not covered by the voucher for who does not belong to the social tariff grouphas been criticized and could justify the low use of vouchers.
