State check: aid of 50 to 200 euros available from Thursday for French people heating with wood

2.4 million French people will benefit from a check from the State. This exceptional bonus can be claimed by the end of the year.

The contours of the State wood energy check are becoming clearer . Agnès Pannier-Runachede, Minister for Energy Transition, explained to France Bleu that claiming this aid is possible from December 22, 2022. After the energy boost granted for oil heating , it was unthinkable to forget households that heat with wood. In just one year, the price of this fuel increased by 30% . What is this new government check? Who is entitled to it? How to use it ? We tell you everything in this article.

A state check for wood heating

The wood energy check is the government's new boost for help households that heat with wood . Assistance for heating with wood and oil was necessary, because these were not protected by the tariff shield .

Wood is a profitable fuel. But recently, the demand for this fuel has increased a lot . A demand for 1.8 million tonnes of wood was recorded for the winter of 2020-2021. However, this winter 2022-2023, demand is estimated at 2.4 million tons . Currently, around 8 million French people have opted for wood heating.

Faced with the rapid growth of this demand, the general delegate of the French Federation of Combustibles, Fuels and Heating, Frédéric Plan declared that “pellets went from 350 euros per ton, last year [winter 2021-2022, Ed. ] at between 700 and 900 euros at the beginning of the autumn. » Wood-fired fireplaces are also facing an energy crisis .

What are the eligibility conditions for obtaining wood heating?

According to ADEME, 3.4 million French households mainly heated with wood . But the government wood energy check will only be granted to households with a certain level of income.

To get this state check from 50 to 200 euros , according to the Minister of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal, it is necessary to justify:

• 2,260 euros of monthly income at most for a person who lives alone.
• 4,750 euros of monthly income at most for a couple with two dependent children.

The wood energy check is a device provided for by the amending finance law for 2022, of December 1, 2022. This device expected to benefit 2.6 million households . A budget of 230 million euros is allocated to this exceptional aid.

What is the amount of the wood energy voucher?

The amount of the wood energy check will depend on the income of each household . But it is also different depending on the type of firewood used.

For households that use a heater with logs ,

• 100 euros will be allocated to the most modest households.
• 50 euros will be allocated to households with slightly higher incomes.

For homes that use heating with pellets ,

• 200 euros will be paid to the most modest households.
• 100 euros will be paid to households with slightly higher incomes.

The wood energy voucher is simple to use. Bring this when buying your logs or pellets. You even have the right to use it to pay electricity and gas bills .

However, this state check is not retroactive. You can not use it only to pay your future bills .

Wood energy check: how to benefit from this state check?

To get the check wood energy, you have to do a first step . To do this, log on to the chequeenergie.gouv.fr website. Then file your tax number to justify your eligibility for income. Also inform your wood bill .

The ecologie.gouv.fr website gives the following details about this invoice:

'They (households) only need to send a registered invoice proving a purchase of wood for a minimum amount of €50 in their name (or a certificate from their trustee if they are owners, or if they are tenants, of the owner of their accommodation and/or the manager of their accommodation for households with collective heating). »

If you are eligible, after this step, you will have the bonus. This help will then be automatically sent to your account.

Application filing was to start this Thursday, December 22 . But there has been a change. You will then only be able to send this request from December 22, 2022, until April 30, 2023. As soon as your file is validated, the wood energy check will be paid the following month , starting in mid-February.

If in doubt, you can always contact the government energy check helpdesk. To do this, call 0 805 204 805. This toll-free number is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Monday to Friday. But it is recommended to join them at the first hour (8 a.m. to 9 a.m.) or at the end of the day (after 5 p.m.). By doing so, you do not wait too long before being received.

Is it possible to combine the wood energy check with other state checks?

As with the fuel oil check, the wood energy check can be combined with other energy vouchers . In particular, it can be combined with the exceptional energy check.

This exceptional energy check unveiled on September 12 by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, will benefit the poorest households . The amount of this is fixed between 100 and 200 euros.

This aid, which meets a condition of specific financial resources, will be allocated to 12 million households in France (4 out of 10 households). This exceptional energy check does not make a distinction between heating methods (wood, gas, electricity or oil, etc.). This government check had to support the most modest households given the increase in the price of electricity and gas at the start of the year.

Source : Mariefrance