If this operation was impossible before, HLM tenants will be able to use their energy check to pay their heating bill. This was announced by the Minister of Ecological Transition on Wednesday December 6, 2023, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. This is good news for HLM residents who will be able to regain some purchasing power thanks to this measure. The impossibility of paying for heating by energy check had also been denounced by MP Fabien Roussel, Wednesday December 6, 2023 at the National Assembly. He described this situation as“aberration”. It is thanks to the amendment made to the 2024 finance bill by the Minister of Ecological Transition on Monday December 4, 2024 that this situation can change. The minister has in fact decided to fight to change things: “we will carry […] until the end the fact that this energy check can allow residents of HLM to reduce their energy bill through a reduction in their charges” she assured on Monday December 4, 2023 during the government question session. This measure should benefit a million households, estimates Fabien Roussel.
What is the energy check?
The energy check is financial assistance granted by the State ranging from €48 to €277 each year. It can be used to pay energy bills (electricity and gas) or the purchase of fuel, but also to carry out energy renovation work. From now on, it can also be used to pay the heating bill. It is the most modest households that benefit from this check, and who receive it once a year in the spring. This year, 5.6 million households received this aid. A significant boost for people with financial difficulties. Not being able to use it to pay for heating therefore penalized many households in difficulty. Faced with rising prices, including that of energy which has soared, a second exceptional aid was provided at the end of 2022 to the tune of €100 to €200. In 2024, the energy check will be available between April 21 and May 30. No additional steps are necessary to benefit from it. Those who received it in 2023 will automatically receive it in their mailbox in 2024.