Electricity Social Bonus: Crucial Relief for Canary Islands Households

The Electricity Social Bonus remains a crucial support for thousands of households in the Canary Islands. It's a discount applied directly to your electricity bill, set by the government to help vulnerable customers, as outlined in Royal Decree 897/2017.

Anyone who meets the general requirements can apply for this financial help: the electricity supply must be for your main home, the account holder must be an individual (not a business), and your contracted power must not exceed 10 kW.

Beyond these general conditions, eligibility depends on specific criteria, often related to income. The income limits for the bonus can be higher if a family member has a disability of 33% or more, is a victim of gender violence, or is a victim of terrorism. In these cases, the income threshold increases by an additional 0.5 IPREM.

There is also a category for those considered severely vulnerable. These are individuals who meet the general and specific requirements, and also receive help from social services that covers at least 50% of their electricity bill. For severely vulnerable customers, electricity cannot be cut off, even if they don't pay their bill.

To apply for the Social Bonus, you must provide certain mandatory documents. Additional documents may be required depending on your specific situation.

The Social Bonus will appear on your first bill issued 15 working days after you've submitted all your documents. If this timeframe is missed, the discount will show up on the following bill.

This help lasts for two years. However, for large families, it continues as long as their large family status remains valid.

When the two-year period is over, you must reapply and submit all documents again to prove you still qualify.