Earlier this year the federal government communicated that it would take measures to lower everyone's energy bill. Concretely, there are three parts.
A temporary reduction in VAT to 6% for electricity and natural gas
The VAT on your electricity bill will be reduced from 21% to 6% from 1 March to the end of December 2022. Please note that this reduction only applies to bills for natural gas and electricity, not for propane gas.
In concrete terms, this means that the 6% VAT rate will be applied to all advance invoices between 1 April and 31 December 2022. You will not yet see the reduced VAT rate on your advance invoice in March. This will be settled on your next annual statement.
From 1 January 2023, the 21% VAT rate will be active again. As a customer, you do not have to do anything yourself. We do all the necessary.
The annual statement and your consumption
On your annual statement you will see that
- from 1 March 2022 to 31 December 2022, the reduced VAT rate of 6% applies to electricity and natural gas;
- and that the standard VAT rate of 21% applies to electricity before 1 March 2022 and after 31 December 2022.
Your consumption for the period from 1 March to 31 December can be determined in two ways.
Option 1: your consumption is calculated on the basis of
- your annual consumption;
- and a standard (predetermined) consumption profile*.
*The standard consumption profile indicates how much electricity the average consumer consumes in the different months of the year. For example, this consumption will be higher in the winter than in the summer months. The standard consumption profile is the same for all suppliers.
Option 2: If you have a digital meter and you opted for a monthly settlement based on your consumption, then we use the monthly meter readings.
The heating bonus for residential electricity contracts
Who is eligible?
A heating bonus of 100 euros will be granted to holders of a residential electricity contract. It is a one-off compensation per family (and only for the place of residence).
Who pays the bonus?
Your electricity supplier, Antargaz, will grant the bonus automatically with the advance or settlement invoice in the period from 18 April to 31 July 2022. You do not have to do anything yourself.
For more details we refer to the website of FPS Economy.
The heating bonus for propane in bulk
Who is eligible?
Any household that has had and paid in full for one or more supplies of propane gas for its main residence during the period between 15 November 2021 and 31 March 2023.
Who pays the bonus?
The bonus is paid by the government, not by Antargaz. So you cannot deduct the cheque from the payment of your invoice. You need your invoice and proof of payment to receive your bonus. You can find a copy of your invoice on the Antargaz customer platform.
How can I apply for the bonus?
- On the online platform of the FPS Economy.
- By registered mail to the following address.
FOD Economie, K.M.O., Middenstand en Energie
Algemene Directie Energie - Cel Mazoutpremie 300 euro
Koning Albert II-laan 16
1000 Brussel
Download the application form.
Which documents should you include in your application?
- A copy of the invoice of the propane gas delivery, after 15 November 2021, meant for heating your primary residence.
- Proof of payment for the invoice.
- Customers connected to a propane gas network can include one or several invoices (on which the meter readings and consumption are indicated) as proof.
If you have any further questions, please consult the FPS Economy website.
For more details, we refer you to Febupro.
The extension of the social rate
The social rate for electricity and/or natural gas that was temporarily applicable because of the corona crisis will be extended until the end of December 2022. To be eligible for the social rate, you must meet certain conditions. You can find more information about this on the website of the federal government economy service. In most cases, the social rate is applied automatically and you do not have to take any action yourself.