Faced with the increase in the price of natural gas, the tariff shield is extended to residential collective housing

The decree which extends, as announced on February 16 by the Government, the price shield to housing heated by collective gas heating or by an urban heating network using natural gas has been published.

The price shield was put in place at the end of 2021 to protect individual residential gas consumers against rising prices. Thanks to this decree, the price of gas paid for the 2021-2022 heating season will be reduced to the regulated price for the month of October 2021, for more than 5 million additional households, in particular in social housing and condominiums, as well as for social residences and emergency accommodation and integration structures.

Following the announcement of the extension of the tariff shield, meetings were organized by the State services with energy suppliers and operators of boiler rooms and heat networks, and players in the housing sector, to design an operational device making it possible to replicate the principle of the already existing tariff shield for individual consumers.

The decree creating this system was signed by the Minister for Ecological Transition, the Minister in charge of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, the Minister Delegate in charge of Housing and the Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts. It was released on April 10.

This decree thus allows the implementation of aid aimed at reducing the price of gas paid for the 2021-2022 heating season to the regulated tariff for the month of October 2021, for more than 5 million additional households, in particular in social housing and condominiums, as well as for social residences and emergency and integration accommodation structures.

The aid will be paid by the State to energy suppliers, who will have to request it and pass it on to their customers. A first request for aid, covering the months of November 2021 to February 2022, may be made before May 1, or failing that, before June 1 at the latest if the May 1 deadline cannot be met. A second application, full or additional and covering the months of November 2021 to June 2022 (minus the first aid already requested if applicable), may be made before October 1, 2022. The aid will be paid by the State in 30 days following the request made by the suppliers. They must pay it in full to their customers no later than 30 days after receiving it.