Pull or push, both OK! ... Yeongyang-gun starts this year's heating and cooling energy voucher support project

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] It is allowed to use winter heating costs in advance for summer cooling costs, and any remaining funds can be carried over.

Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, has launched the ‘Energy Voucher’ support project to assist residents facing difficulties in energy usage.

Started on the 25th, this project supports energy-vulnerable groups with expenses for electricity, kerosene, LPG, and briquette purchases until the end of the year.

Applications can be submitted at the resident registration address’s eup/myeon office from May 25 to December 30.

Eligible applicants are households that meet both income criteria and household member characteristic criteria. Income criteria include recipients of livelihood or medical benefits under the National Basic Livelihood Security Act, and household member criteria include any of the following: elderly (born on or before December 31, 1957), infants and young children (born on or after January 1, 2016), persons with disabilities, pregnant women (currently pregnant or within six months postpartum), patients with severe diseases, patients with rare diseases, patients with severe intractable diseases, single-parent families, or children’s homes.

The support amount varies by household size: ▲single-person household 103,500 KRW (summer 7,000 KRW, winter 96,500 KRW), ▲two-person household 146,500 KRW (summer 10,000 KRW, winter 136,500 KRW), ▲three-person household 184,500 KRW (summer 15,000 KRW, winter 169,500 KRW), ▲households of four or more 209,500 KRW (summer 15,000 KRW, winter 194,500 KRW).

The summer period is from July 1 to September 30, and the winter period is from October 12 to April 30 of the following year.

Summer vouchers are supported by deducting from electricity bills, while winter vouchers can be used for electricity, kerosene, LPG, briquettes, etc., with deductions or support through the National Happiness Card.

Any remaining balance after using the summer voucher can be carried over to the winter voucher, and starting this year, up to 45,000 KRW of the winter voucher can be used in advance during the summer period.

Lee Won-gi, Director of the Economic and Job Division, said, “In 2021, the Energy Voucher support project assisted about 480 households with over 60 million KRW, and this year we will actively promote to ensure all eligible households apply without omission.”