14 january 2022

Applying for energy subsidy in Tallinn now open

Applications to receive compensation to mitigate the increase in electricity, gas and district heating costs in Tallinn can be submitted from Monday, January 17.

An electronic application form is scheduled to open on Monday 17 January at https://taotlen.tallinn.ee/. As an alternative, it is possible to register an appointment at the social welfare department of the district administration, where a member of staff will assist the applicant in submitting their application.

Tallinn has launched an energy subsidy information hotline on 600 6300. The number can be used by residents and housing associations for advice on energy subsidies. The line is open on Mondays 8.15-17.45, Tuesdays to Thursdays 8.15-16.45 and Fridays 8.15-15.45.

Self-service electronic application should be preferred, as it allows to apply in less time and also helps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Digitally literate people are also encouraged to help their loved ones to apply online.

The energy subsidy will be paid by the social welfare department of the district where the person is registered as living. The maximum number of months that can be compensated at a time is five, so to avoid excessive bureaucracy it is possible to apply for subsidy for multiple months at a time, provided the applicant can withstand it. The compensation can be claimed for part of the expenses incurred and to be incurred between September last year and March this year. To be eligible for energy subsidy for the costs of September, applications must be submitted in February at the latest. In March, you can apply for compensation of expenses incurred since October.

The energy subsidy is paid to individuals or families whose average net income is below the median wage in 2021. In 2022, this will be €1,126 for a person living alone, €1,689 for a household of two adults and €2,365 for a family of two adults and two children under 14. On the basis of documents submitted by the applicant showing the amount of energy consumed and the consequent cost, the subsidy will be paid on 80 percent of the cost of energy exceeding 12 cents per kWh for electricity, 4.9 cents per kWh for gas and 7.8 cents per kWh for district heating.

In the invoices submitted with the application or in the annexes to the invoice issued by the housing association, the amount of electricity consumed must be expressed in megawatt-hours or kilowatt-hours, while the amount of gas consumed may also be expressed in cubic metres. If the heating of the apartment building is provided by the housing association itself using electricity or gas, you can apply for a subsidy to compensate for the increase in the cost of electricity and gas used for heating. This can be done on the basis of an invoice or an annex to the invoice submitted by the housing association, which, in addition to the consumption costs, also shows the amount of electricity consumed to heat the apartment in kWh or MWh and the amount of gas consumed in kWh, MWh or m3.

Regarding district heating, the information that must be provided is as follows. If the applicant resides in a district heating area with a maximum price agreed with the Estonian Competition Authority, the total district heating costs (in EUR) must be given. The name of the company providing district heating and the network area must also be provided (e.g. Adven Eesti AS, Põhja-Tallinn network area). If the applicant does not live in a district heating price cap area agreed by the Competition Authority, the application must show the total district heating costs (in EUR) and the monthly average or end-of-month unit price per kWh or MWh for the relevant month and January 2021.

If necessary, the applicant should contact their housing association to obtain the necessary documents. The minimum amount of energy subsidy is €10 per application in total and the maximum is €500 per application per month.

Anyone can check whether and how much their family could receive the compensation by using the calculator on the Ministry of Finance's website, where answers to the most frequently asked questions are also available: https://www.rahandusministeerium.ee/et/energiakulude-huvitamine.