Voucher for ages 60 and 65. PLN 1,200 for energy bills.

• The government is working on solutions to compensate the poorest citizens of Poland for rising energy prices.
• Only pensioners with incomes not exceeding PLN 2,525 gross will be eligible for support.
• One of the conditions will be to live in buildings that have their own heat source powered by fossil fuels, i.e. coal and heating oil.

- Although the government is trying to postpone the introduction of the ETS2 system, which assumes the introduction of a new fee on carbon dioxide emissions, which will also be charged to households, it is preparing an emergency plan - Fakt.pl wrote.

Climate Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska announced in an interview with Portal Samorządowy that she will strive to continue the energy voucher in subsequent heating seasons.

"We are planning how to mitigate these types of solutions being implemented into Polish law so that they don't affect our citizens," she emphasized. "Vouchers have been issued for this heating season. Will they be available in subsequent years? We'll see how the state budget develops. As Minister of Climate and Environment, I will be requesting this," she declared.

As a reminder, on Friday, June 6, the Ministry of Funds presented the Socio-Climate Plan, a document proposing the principles of new support.

"The measures will consist of providing individuals eligible for support based on the program's criteria with a voucher to cover their household's energy and heating costs. These measures are intended to support the most vulnerable households, which will be most affected by changes in energy costs, enabling them to adapt to changing market conditions," the government document states.

The qualification mechanism for receiving the voucher will take into account income criteria, age criteria and residence in a building with an individual energy source powered by fossil fuels , which will allow for more effective reaching of people in real need.

According to the newspaper , the voucher will be available to those with incomes below PLN 2,525 gross . The assistance will be available to individuals who:

• have reached retirement age - i.e. 60 years for women and 65 years for men,
• they do not have high incomes,
• they live in buildings that have their own heat source powered by fossil fuels, i.e. coal and heating oil.

The government is to allocate approximately PLN 24 billion for the energy voucher. The average support for a household is to be PLN 1,200 per year. The first payments are planned for 2027. Seniors would receive the funds in installments – quarterly over a five-year period .

According to "Fakt," the energy voucher would protect retirees from debt and power disconnection. The Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) will administer the energy voucher, which is where seniors would submit applications.