The government approved the Regulation on Assigning Energy Vulnerability Categories (EVC).
This document establishes the procedure for assigning a vulnerability category, the way to pay compensation for energy bills and the way to register the consumer in the energy vulnerability system to receive compensation. To assign a vulnerability category, registration in the "Energy Vulnerability" Information System (SIME) will be carried out on the website compensatii.gov.md in two ways: individually or with the help of assistants (librarians or social workers). Registration in the system is possible only once a year and it will be possible to make changes in the system during the first 5 days after registration. When applying for an EVC, the applicant must indicate the monthly income of each household member for the last six months (of any origin, including social benefits, income from entrepreneurial activity, social assistance, etc., except for the one-off allowance at childbirth, funeral aid, compensation for natural disasters or emergencies and payments for care and accompaniment of certain categories of citizens). To determine the level of vulnerability there will be performed 7 steps: the invulnerability test; establishment of minimum household expenses; establishment of total monthly household income; calculation of income available to pay for energy; calculation of energy costs during the cold season for the household; establishment of the ratio between energy expenses and household income; assignment of the vulnerability category. The energy vulnerability category will be assigned to households based on a coefficient, as a percentage ratio of energy costs and income available to pay for energy. The state will compensate households that consume no more than 250 cubic meters of natural gas per month, no more than 1.5 Gcal of heat, no more than 2,500 kWh of electricity if electric devices are used for heating or up to 250 kW - if there are alternative ways to heat. In total, consumers will be divided into five categories: very high energy vulnerability (energy costs are 90% of the household income), high (35%), medium (20% or more), low (10%), energy non-vulnerable (less than 10%). The vulnerability category will be determined based on data available in SIME the 25th day of each month. Consumers who do not apply at compensatii.gov.md will be assigned an average EVC. The level of compensation for energy costs during the cold season (for November, December, January, February March) for each category of consumers will be approved by the government by another decree. Compensation will be provided directly in the energy bills. More than 5.7 billion lei will be needed to provide compensations. // 06.10.2022 – InfoMarket
