Starting This Winter, Childcare Center City Gas Fees Will Be Reduced... "Strengthening Support for Energy-Vulnerable Groups"

Winter Heating Cost Support and Energy Saving Measures
Strengthening Support for Vulnerable Groups and Facilities
Allowing Small Business Owners to Pay Gas Bills in 4 Installments

The government has decided to reduce city gas fees for daycare centers starting this December. This measure aims to strengthen support for energy-vulnerable groups who face relatively high heating costs during the winter season.

On the 2nd, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held an emergency economic ministers' meeting and a price-related ministers' meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, where they announced the "Winter Heating Cost Support and Energy Saving Measures" containing these details.

Choi Yeon-woo, Director of the Energy Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Industry, explained, "Energy prices, which had been stable, recently rose again to $89.8 per barrel of Dubai crude oil due to the Israel-Hamas conflict and the extension of production cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), increasing uncertainty. We have proactively prepared comprehensive and detailed heating cost support measures to alleviate the energy cost burden on vulnerable groups due to increased heating demand in winter."

Accordingly, the government plans to increase energy cost support for vulnerable groups and facilities and ease winter heating cost burdens through efficiency improvement support such as high-efficiency devices. First, daycare centers will be newly added to the list of facilities eligible for city gas fee discounts, allowing them to receive fee reductions starting this December. The Ministry of Industry expects that about 20,000 daycare centers nationwide will receive approximately a 16% discount on city gas fees.

Additionally, winter heating cost support for senior centers nationwide (68,000 locations) will be increased by 50,000 KRW to 370,000 KRW per month during the winter period (November to March), and further expansion will be actively considered.

The energy voucher support amount will remain at the same level as the temporary increase last year, providing an average of 304,000 KRW per household. For about 4,500 households of youth-headed and single-parent families among livelihood and medical beneficiaries using kerosene for heating, the support amount will increase from 310,000 KRW to 641,000 KRW. Coal briquette coupons provided to about 40,000 households including basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty groups, elderly living alone, disabled persons, single-parent, and youth-headed families using briquettes will be expanded from 472,000 KRW to 546,000 KRW per household.

For small business owners, monthly city gas bills for winter usage (October to March) will be allowed to be paid in equal installments over four months.

Along with nationwide campaigns and promotions for energy saving, voluntary energy conservation will be encouraged through real-time usage and billing data. To encourage participation in the residential gas cashback program, the success reduction target will be lowered from 7% to 3% compared to the same period last year, and the payment rate will be increased from up to 70 KRW per cubic meter to 200 KRW.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.