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How to read this page

• Each country lists who can get the help, whether the official source says anything about foreign nationals, how to apply, and amounts or dates only where the official page states them for the current period.
• "Not stated" means the official page we read does not mention it. It does not mean you are allowed or excluded: ask the office named in the source.
• If a scheme ended, or we could not confirm it for 2026/27, we say that instead of guessing. Amounts, thresholds and dates change: check the linked page before you act.

Spain: bono social eléctrico (electricity discount)

• Who can get it: Real Decreto 897/2017, art. 3: the individual holder of an electricity supply in their habitual home, on the regulated PVPC tariff, who meets one of these: household annual income at or below 1.5 times the IPREM (14 payments), raised by 0.3 for each additional adult and 0.5 for each minor; a large-family title (familia numerosa); being a minimum-pension retiree or permanent-disability pensioner with no other income above 500 euros a year; or someone in the household receives the Ingreso Mínimo Vital. The income multipliers rise by 1 in special circumstances such as a recognised disability of 33% or more.
• Foreign nationals: Not stated. We found no nationality condition in the decree text; the conditions are about the supply, the home and the household.
• How to apply: Apply to your reference supplier (comercializador de referencia) using the official form, by phone, at their office, by email or post, or on their website. The form lists the household members, and adults give consent for the ministry to check data with other administrations.
• Amounts and dates: The consolidated BOE text we read gives a 35% discount (50% for severe vulnerability) on the PVPC, applied up to a yearly energy limit. Other decrees can set temporary changes, and we could not confirm which percentages apply this winter: check bonosocial.gob.es or your supplier. The discount runs for two years, then the supplier checks renewal.
• Source: BOE: Real Decreto 897/2017 (consolidated text)

Spain: bono social térmico (heating and other non-electric energy)

• Who can get it: Created by Real Decreto-ley 15/2018 as an aid for household energy uses other than electricity. The amount depends on the climate zone and the household's degree of vulnerability.
• Foreign nationals: Not stated in the text we read.
• How to apply: The decree-law says management and payment belong to the autonomous communities (in 2018 the ministry paid it exceptionally). Ask your comunidad autónoma.
• Amounts and dates: Not confirmed for 2026/27. We found no current official page with this winter's amount or deadline, so we give none.
• Source: BOE: Real Decreto-ley 15/2018 (consolidated text)

France: chèque énergie

• Who can get it: Households that meet the conditions, notably income. Service-Public offers a simulator to check whether you are entitled and for how much.
• Foreign nationals: Not stated. Service-Public lists a passport or national identity card as an accepted ID for a request.
• How to apply: Eligible households normally receive the cheque automatically. If you meet the conditions but did not receive it, Service-Public describes an online request (FranceConnect or your 13-digit tax number) or a request by post. Documents last campaign: ID, an electricity-supply certificate in your name showing your PDL/PRM number (under 3 months old) and your income tax notice (N-2).
• Amounts and dates: Not confirmed for 2026/27: the pages we could read describe the previous campaign (online requests 15 October 2025 to 28 February 2026, cheques sent from 19 November 2025). The official portal chequeenergie.gouv.fr needs JavaScript and did not show us this year's details. Amounts were not stated on the pages we read.
• Source: Service-Public: Do I qualify for the chèque énergie and how much?; Service-Public: request a chèque énergie online; Chèque énergie (official portal)

Portugal: tarifa social de energia

• Who can get it: DGEG: a supply contract in your name for domestic use in your permanent home, contracted power up to 6.9 kVA in normal low voltage, and you receive a Segurança Social benefit: complemento solidário para idosos, rendimento social de inserção, unemployment benefits, abono de família, pensão social de invalidez (or the complemento da prestação social para a inclusão) or pensão social de velhice. Without a benefit you can still qualify if the household's total annual income is at most 6,272.64 euros, plus 50% for each household member with no income (including yourself), up to a maximum of 10. Natural gas has similar rules with a yearly consumption of at most 500 m3.
• Foreign nationals: Not stated on the DGEG pages we read. The tests are about the contract, the home and the benefits or income checked with the tax authority and Segurança Social.
• How to apply: Normally you do not. DGEG cross-checks data with the Autoridade Tributária and Segurança Social, and suppliers apply the tarifa social to the bill automatically. Alternatively you can ask Segurança Social or the tax authority for a proof of your status and give it to your supplier. DGEG information line: 210 308 536.
• Amounts and dates: It is a discount on the network access tariff, not a fixed sum. ERSE publishes the discount tables and a calculator; its tariff tables are valid from 1 October 2026. We do not quote an amount.
• Source: DGEG: conditions for the tarifa social; DGEG: how the tarifa social is granted; ERSE: electricity tariffs and tarifa social

Italy: bonus sociale per disagio economico

• Who can get it: ARERA: an ISEE certificate at or below 9,796 euros (households with up to 3 dependent children) or 20,000 euros (large families with at least 4 dependent children). The electricity, gas or water contract must be in the name of a member of the ISEE household, for domestic use (for water, for the resident home), and active (or temporarily suspended for non-payment). Gas must be used for heating, cooking or hot water, with a meter of class G6 or smaller.
• Foreign nationals: Not stated. We found no citizenship condition on the ARERA pages; the test is the ISEE and the contract.
• How to apply: You do not apply to the supplier. File the DSU (Dichiarazione Sostitutiva Unica) through INPS to obtain an ISEE below the threshold; if the supply checks pass, the bonus is granted for 12 months. File a new DSU every year.
• Amounts and dates: Electricity bonus 2026 (in force until 31 December 2026), per year: 146.00 euros for 1 to 2 household members, 186.15 for 3 to 4, 204.40 for more than 4. The gas bonus changes every quarter by household size, use and climate zone, and is higher in winter: see the ARERA table. In the bill it appears about 3 to 4 months after the ISEE certificate (electricity and gas) and 6 to 7 months for water. ARERA describes a 200 euro extraordinary contribution for 2025 only; we found no 2026 repeat on that page.
• Source: ARERA: requirements; ARERA: how to obtain the bonuses; ARERA: amounts

Germany: Wohngeld-Plus (rent subsidy with a heating-cost component)

• Who can get it: The federal housing ministry (BMWSB): Wohngeld is a state subsidy to housing costs for tenants and owner-occupiers with low income above basic-benefit level. Since the Wohngeld-Plus reform it includes a permanent, flat-rate heating-cost component graded by household size. Who is usually not eligible: people already receiving benefits that cover housing costs, such as SGB II, SGB XII, basic benefits under the Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz, BAföG. Students can apply only if the household has no BAföG entitlement in principle.
• Foreign nationals: Not stated on the page we read. Ask the local Wohngeldbehörde.
• How to apply: Submit an application to the Wohngeldbehörde of your municipality, city or district; many states offer it online. The ministry points to verwaltung.bund.de (search for Wohngeld) to find the office. The ministry also has a Wohngeld-Plus calculator for a first estimate; only the local authority can calculate your claim.
• Amounts and dates: Depends on household size, rent or housing burden and total income. The last increase was on 1 January 2025, and the law sets a regular two-year adjustment. A one-off Heizkostenzuschuss for 2026/27: we found none on the official page, so we leave it out.
• Source: BMWSB: Wohngeld-Plus

Netherlands: energietoeslag

• Who can get it: Not confirmed for 2026/27. We found no current official page announcing an energietoeslag, so we do not list one.
• Foreign nationals: Not applicable: no scheme confirmed.
• How to apply: The Rijksoverheid page says people who cannot pay their energy bill can get help through the Tijdelijk Noodfonds Energie. Its website needs JavaScript and did not show us the conditions or dates, so check noodfondsenergie.nl and ask your gemeente.
• Amounts and dates: None confirmed.
• Source: Rijksoverheid: measures for affordable and sustainable energy; Tijdelijk Noodfonds Energie

Austria: Sozialtarif Strom

• Who can get it: E-Control: households exempt from the ORF-Beitrag (students excepted). The social tariff applies to electricity used at your main residence, not to gas or district heating.
• Foreign nationals: Not stated by E-Control. Eligibility follows the ORF-Beitrag exemption, which OBS decides: ask OBS what the exemption requires.
• How to apply: Automatically if the OBS (ORF-Beitrag Service GmbH) holds the data it needs, mainly the meter point number (Zählpunktbezeichnung) from your electricity contract or bill. Exempt households were informed by OBS whether billing starts automatically from 1 April 2026 or more data is needed. You do not have to change supplier; every supplier must apply it. If the number of people living in the household changes, tell OBS.
• Amounts and dates: In force since 1 April 2026. 6 cents per kWh for energy, for up to 2,900 kWh a year; network charges, taxes and levies are still payable. Above 2,900 kWh a price cap (the upper reference value) applies. Households with more than three people registered at the main residence get 52.50 euros a year for each additional person. The first inflation adjustment is on 1 January 2027.
• Source: E-Control: Sozialtarif; E-Control: advice centres and bridging aid (including Wohnschirm)

United Kingdom: Warm Home Discount (England, Wales, Scotland)

• Who can get it: GOV.UK: a one-off 150 pound discount on your electricity bill. England and Wales: you may be eligible if, on 23 August 2026, your supplier was part of the scheme, you or your partner got Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA or Pension Credit, and your or your partner's name was on the electricity bill. Scotland has different criteria. It is not available in Northern Ireland (see Affordable Warmth).
• Foreign nationals: Not stated on the GOV.UK pages we read.
• How to apply: England and Wales: usually automatic. You get a letter between late October 2026 and early January 2027; if it confirms you are eligible you do nothing. If it asks for more information, call the helpline by 26 February 2027. No letter by early January: contact the scheme (0800 030 9322). Scotland: some people must apply to their supplier. Prepay meters qualify; your supplier explains how you get the discount.
• Amounts and dates: 150 pounds, applied by your supplier by 31 March 2027.
• Source: GOV.UK: Warm Home Discount Scheme

United Kingdom: Winter Fuel Payment

• Who can get it: GOV.UK: people born on or before 27 June 1960 who usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (not Scotland, which has the Pension Age Winter Heating payment). The qualifying week was 21 to 27 September 2026.
• Foreign nationals: Stated: you are not eligible if you need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says you cannot claim public funds. You are also not eligible if you usually live outside England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
• How to apply: Most people get it automatically. You must claim if you have never had it or you deferred your State Pension. By post from 21 September 2026 or by phone from 19 October 2026 (0800 731 0160, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm).
• Amounts and dates: Between 100 and 300 pounds for winter 2026 to 2027, mostly paid in November or December 2026. If your total income is over 35,000 pounds HMRC takes it back. Claim deadline: 31 March 2027.
• Source: GOV.UK: Winter Fuel Payment; GOV.UK: eligibility; GOV.UK: how to claim

Staying safe while heating cheaply: carbon monoxide

• What the NHS says: Gas boilers and cookers, gas or paraffin heaters, and wood, gas and coal fires can produce carbon monoxide if they are not installed properly, are faulty or are poorly maintained. Using barbecues or camping stoves inside can also cause a build-up.
• Do: Get a carbon monoxide alarm for each room that has an appliance burning gas, oil, coal or wood. Have appliances properly installed and serviced regularly by a qualified, registered engineer. Keep rooms well ventilated and chimneys and flues clean.
• Do not: Do not use a barbecue or camping stove indoors or in a tent, and do not run vehicle engines in an enclosed space such as a garage.
• If you suspect poisoning: Stop using the appliance, go outside if you can and get medical advice. Do not go back in until you have advice. In the UK call NHS 111, or 999 for breathing problems, confusion, weakness, chest pain or loss of consciousness. Outside the UK use your local emergency number: see our emergency numbers page. This is UK guidance; we did not check other countries' official wording.
• Source: NHS: carbon monoxide poisoning

Practical checklist

• Find out who is the holder of the electricity contract. In Spain, Italy and Portugal the bill must be in your name (or a household member's) for the discount to attach.
• Gather the basics: ID or passport, tax or social-security number, proof of address, the electricity meter number (CUPS, POD, PDL/PRM, Zählpunkt), and your household members.
• Check whether you already receive a qualifying benefit: it often triggers the discount automatically.
• Note the dates: UK letter window, 26 February 2027 helpline deadline, 31 March 2027 claim deadline; Italy needs a new ISEE every year.
• If a letter or email asks for bank details and looks odd, check it on the official site. GOV.UK warns of scams pretending to be a government service.

Related

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• Your first dark season abroad
• Emergency numbers
• Christmas bonus and 13th salary abroad

Frequently asked questions

• Can I get the Spanish bono social if I am a foreign resident? The decree text we read sets conditions on the electricity supply in your habitual home, on the PVPC tariff, and on income, large-family status, pension or Ingreso Mínimo Vital. We found no nationality condition. Apply to your reference supplier.
• Do I have to apply for Portugal's tarifa social? Normally no. DGEG says it is recognised automatically from tax and social security data and your supplier applies it. You need a contract in your name for domestic use in your permanent home.
• What is the Italian bonus sociale and how do I get it? A discount on electricity, gas and water bills for households with an ISEE at or below 9,796 euros (20,000 euros for families with at least 4 dependent children). You file the DSU to get the ISEE; the bonus is then applied automatically for 12 months.
• What is Austria's Sozialtarif? Since 1 April 2026, households exempt from the ORF-Beitrag (students excepted) pay 6 cents per kWh for up to 2,900 kWh of electricity a year, plus network charges and taxes. OBS grants it and suppliers bill it.
• Is there a Winter Fuel Payment for newcomers to the UK? Only if you were born on or before 27 June 1960, usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and your leave does not bar you from public funds. Most people are paid automatically; new claimants have until 31 March 2027.
• What about France and the Netherlands? We could not confirm a 2026/27 chèque énergie campaign or a Dutch energietoeslag from the official pages we could read. Check chequeenergie.gouv.fr, Service-Public and your gemeente.

Sources

• BOE: Real Decreto 897/2017 (consolidated text)
• BOE: Real Decreto-ley 15/2018 (consolidated text)
• Service-Public: Do I qualify for the chèque énergie and how much?
• Service-Public: request a chèque énergie online
• Chèque énergie (official portal)
• DGEG: conditions for the tarifa social
• DGEG: how the tarifa social is granted
• ERSE: electricity tariffs and tarifa social
• ARERA: requirements
• ARERA: how to obtain the bonuses
• ARERA: amounts
• BMWSB: Wohngeld-Plus
• Rijksoverheid: measures for affordable and sustainable energy
• Tijdelijk Noodfonds Energie
• E-Control: Sozialtarif
• E-Control: advice centres and bridging aid (including Wohnschirm)
• GOV.UK: Warm Home Discount Scheme
• GOV.UK: Winter Fuel Payment
• GOV.UK: eligibility
• GOV.UK: how to claim
• NHS: carbon monoxide poisoning

Last checked 26 October 2026. General information, not legal or financial advice: check the official pages or ask the office named in each source. Schemes, thresholds and dates change.