What the program is and which problem it solves
The Bono Social is Spain's protection mechanism for energy-vulnerable households, operating since 2009. It has two parts: the bono social eléctrico, a regulated discount on the electricity bill, and the bono social térmico, an annual direct payment to help cover heating, domestic hot water and cooking energy. The design tackles energy poverty from both ends — reducing the unit cost of electricity for those least able to pay, and providing a lump sum for the fuels used to heat the home. The electricity discount is financed by the retail companies; the thermal bonus is funded from the state budget.
Eligibility and geographic coverage
The scheme is national. Eligibility is built around three consumer categories — vulnerable, severely vulnerable, and severely vulnerable at risk of social exclusion — defined by household income thresholds (scaled to household size, with uplifts for disability, gender-violence or terrorism victims), minimum-pension pensioners, large families, and households with recognised dependency or disability. The electricity contract must be the regulated PVPC tariff, at 10 kW or less, at the habitual residence. The thermal bonus requires no application: every consumer who held the electricity bono social on 31 December of the previous year is automatically a beneficiary, and each autonomous community manages and pays its share.
Amount and funding structure
For 2026 the government set the electricity discounts at 42.5% for vulnerable consumers and 57.5% for severely vulnerable consumers, applied to consumption up to annual caps that vary by household type. The thermal bonus is a once-a-year payment whose amount depends on the beneficiary's climate zone and vulnerability grade, with an optional top-up from the autonomous community. UNVERIFIED: the exact current per-beneficiary thermal amounts — confirm on bonosocial.gob.es or the regional government's publication. The thermal payment is compatible with other aid for the same purpose.
How to apply and timelines
The electricity bono social must be requested from one of the reference retailers (comercializadores de referencia), by phone, email, post, in person or via the retailer's website, with a sworn declaration of the household's situation and supporting documents. Renewal is automatic every two years for most categories while conditions hold; large families keep it until the large-family title expires. The thermal bonus follows automatically — for example, 2025 beneficiaries are being paid during 2026 through their autonomous community (Madrid's 2026 payment order, published April 2026, authorised over €48 million). There is no application and no deadline to miss for the thermal component.
Cautions and program gotchas
The discount only applies on the PVPC tariff — households on free-market tariffs must switch to claim it. The consumption caps mean usage above the limit is billed at the full PVPC rate, so efficiency still matters. Losing the electricity bono social (for example by failing to renew) also forfeits the following year's thermal bonus, since thermal eligibility derives entirely from electricity-beneficiary status on 31 December. Supply disconnection is prohibited for the most protected categories, including households with minors, dependents or disabled members.
Program details change — verify current rules on the official program page before applying.