Berlin.
Owners of oil and pellet heating systems can apply for hardship aid for high heating costs. How much you get depends on where you live.
After the government had already supported people with increased energy costs in 2022 with a subsidy, the second has been in many federal states since the first week of May heating allowance started for people with low incomes. In addition, there is another support: Die Hardship assistance for owners of oil and pellet heating systems. The federal government has provided a fund of 1.8 billion euros for this purpose.
Who in 2022 with oil, LPG, wood or coal heated and has paid a lot of money for the heating means, should now be relieved with the aid. Crucial to whether you Help gets and how high it is are many factors. An early May from the online guide “Finanztip” published analysis shows: With the amount of the sum, it has also played a role in which federal state you are at home. What’s behind it?
Hardship aid: how and where to apply for it
Basically, the federal government has decided: Who for the heating means Anyone who paid more than twice the reference price in 2022 has been able to request payment of the additional costs beyond that since May. 80 percent of the costs in excess of twice the reference price are covered. What are reference prices? These are prices that the federal government has set based on the average prices from 2021. In other words: whether you are entitled depends on the purchase price of the heating medium. If there was a price increase over 100%, then you can get help apply for.
To the Help To obtain this, consumers must fill out an online application and be able to present the invoices for the heating material purchases from 2022. At least 100 euros will be paid out, whoever is below that in the calculation receives nothing. The upper limit is 2000 euros per household.
The payments are made via the respective federal state. There is one in Berlin application platform online since January, in the remaining countries a joint portal will be activated step by step in May. Like Berlin, Bavaria and NRW rely on their own platforms, according to the NRW consumer advice center.
Get heating costs back: The order date counts
But beware: the federal government’s decision stipulates that the delivery date of the heating materials should be year 2022 falls. The Federal Ministry of Economics writes on its website: “The date of delivery is decisive. In addition to this, the state can provide that, as an exception, the order date should be used, provided that suitable documents can be used to prove that the order was placed during the relief period and that the delivery of the non-cabled energy source by March 31, 2023 at the latest.”
Means: In individual cases, the Federal states but also look at the order date. The consumer center of North Rhine-Westphalia writes that if in doubt, you should ask your own state how exactly this is regulated.
Heating cost aid: So far, this federal state has had the most
There’s a catch – depending on where you live. Because Berliners should be happy so far. Sometimes you get more Money than the households in the remaining 15 federal states. This emerges from the analysis by “Finanztip”. Because not only the start times of the application platforms in the federal states are different – also with the amount of aid there is a difference.
The reason: Berlin goes with the one that started in January application procedure its own way, under the name “Heizkostenhilfe Berlin”. The Federal Ministry of Economics refers in their FAQs on the city’s own platform. Do you look up the side around, it is noticeable: Instead of only doubling (100%) the reference price, as stipulated by the federal government, the aid to pay outBerlin has added 70% additional costs.
“Finanztip” found out: The others Federal states would comply with federal guidelines. Berlin, on the other hand, sets other reference prices in addition to the additional costs. In Berlin, the help is already there from a price of over 17 cents/kg (incl. VAT), in the remaining federal states only from 72 cents/kg.
Energy expert Benjamin Weigl from Finanztip calculates in one Press release from “Finanztip” proposes: “Anyone who has ordered four tons of coal for his heating at 60 cents a kilo – a current normal price – gets a whopping 1,376 euros in Berlin heating cost aid. In all other federal states, consumers do not get a cent.”
Hardship aid: Will the better conditions in this federal state soon be over?
According to “Finanztip”, Berlin pays the additional costs that go beyond the decisions of the Federal go out, out of your own household. But the platform in the capital now says that that is the case Proceedings is now paused. No applications can currently be made or processed.
It should therefore now be the new one federal aid program implemented in the state of Berlin and the existing process adapted. However, this could mean that the better conditions for the heating subsidies is in Berlin and the city is adapting to the requirements of the federal government. Berlin has not yet announced when applications can be made again. (emi)
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