2.6 million households heating with wood will be able to request a special energy check for 50, 100 or 200 euros from Tuesday 27 December. The decree was published on Friday 23 in the Official Journal, and a press release from the Minister of the Economy published the same day details all the terms.
The platform for requesting this aid announced this fall by the executive to support households in the face of soaring energy prices was initially to be put online on Thursday, December 22. Finally, the kick-off will indeed take place on Tuesday, December 27, as announced earlier this week. The check will concern 70% of households heating mainly with woodeither 2.6million householdsfor a total budget of 230 million euros, according to Bercy.
Where to apply?
Via the official website chequeenergie.gouv.fr, but Bercy has already revealed the address of the specific portal, which is the same as for the special fuel oil check: chequeboisfioul.asp-public.fr. This portal for the exceptional energy check – wood operation will be open from 8 a.m. Tuesday. To connect, only your tax number, used to declare your income on the tax site, will be requested.
Until when can you claim this wood energy check?
Households may apply for this aid until April 30, 2023 and checks will be sent from the mid-February 2023.
50, 100 or 200 euros: how much are you entitled to?
According to the decree published Friday in the OJ, the check will reach the maximum amount of 200 euros for individuals whose reference tax income is less than 14,400 euros and who heat with wood pellets.
| Check of… | wood pellets | Logs, sticks, plates, etc. |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | If your RFR per consumption unit | |
| 100 | If your RFR per consumption unit | If your RFR per consumption unit |
| 50 | If your RFR per consumption unit |
The reference tax income (RFR) used is weighted by the number of people in the household in consumption units (CU).
1 consumption unit (CU) for the first adult in the household, 0.5 CU for other people aged 14 or over, 0.3 CU for children under 14.
The amount of the check depends on the type of fuel used: households that heat with wood pellets (or pellets) are thus entitled to double the aid provided for those who use logs, skewers or chips.
Bercy gives an example in its press release: Un couple with one child who wins less than 4000 euros per month in 2020 and which heats mainly with wood will be able to touch 100 euros.
What supporting documents?
In case of individual heatingyou must accompany your request on the portal with a invoice for the purchase of firewood for a minimum amount of 50 euros, dated less than 18 months relative to demand.
electricity, gas: reduce your bill with our online comparator
In case of communal heatingyou must provide a certificate that the dwelling is heated by this means. The latter is fulfilled by the trustee co-ownership or the rental manager (model appended to the decree), or by the HLM organization, etc.
How to spend this wood check 2022?
Bercy ensures that it is used exactly like the energy check. It can be used with a wood seller, but also with other suppliers for all energy bills (electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, etc.).
How long will the wood check be valid for?
The expiry date of this special wood heating energy check is fixed in the decree March 31, 2024.
Energy check: several aids to differentiate at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023
Be careful not to confuse! Exceptional energy check, classic energy check, fuel oil check, wood check… The different formulas of the energy check are obviously detailed on the official government website, as well as simulators to check your eligibility. Because different one-off and recurring aids overlap: yet they can sometimes be combined, hence the importance of differentiating between them.
Regarding the wood energy check, it can be combined with the usual energy check and with the exceptional check 2022, but beware: The exceptional wood check cannot be combined with the exceptional fuel oil check 2022, specifies the government on chequeenergie.gouv.fr , eliminating those who combine oil-fired boilers and wood-burning stoves.
Energy check: 5 exceptional aids up to 600 euros that you may benefit from