According to the latest opinion poll conducted by YOTTA, Poles are highly aware of the government's ongoing measures to support electricity consumers. 43% of those surveyed are aware of the mechanism to freeze energy prices at last year's level, and 31% are aware of the increase in consumption limits for households at a preferential price.

The above shield mechanisms are elements of the government's Solidarity Shield, which one in three respondents (31%) had heard of. It is thanks to it that net electricity prices have been frozen and have not increased year-on-year. At just over 40 cents per kilowatt hour or about 10 euro cents, they are among the lowest in Europe, while the EU average is 25 euro cents. In Poland, about 60 per cent of the cost of energy prices is covered by a special Difference Payment Fund, which is financed by energy companies and the state budget.

- Between PLN 3,000 and PLN 4,000 savings on electricity bills in 2023 alone These concrete figures summarise the increased electricity consumption limits for households, which are billed at the preferential rates of last year. For all households, this increased limit has been set at 3 000 kWh per year, for people with disabilities it is 3 600 kWh, and for families with a Large Family Card and farmers it is as much as 4 000 kWh. This is considerably more than the average electricity consumption, which is around 2 000 kWh per year in Polish homes - which will protect Polish families from potentially higher electricity bills - says Maciej Maciejowski of the Polish Electricity Committee.

In addition, one in four Poles (27%) is already aware of the additional bonus introduced in September in the form of a discount on their electricity bill of PLN 125. It is worth recalling that energy retailers are obliged to grant a one-off discount later this year to all households that meet one of the non-required conditions, such as:

• consent to receive electronic invoices;
• consent to electronic communication about products and services offered;
• checking and confirming the accuracy of your data with your energy retailer;
• a reduction of at least three consecutive months between January 2023 and September 2023 in electricity consumption of 5 per cent compared to the same period in 2022;
• production of renewable energy in a prosumer RES installation or
• making a declaration on increased consumption limits under the government's Solidarity Shield (applies to households with a Large Family Card, a person with a disability or farmers).

One in five respondents (20%) to the YOTTA survey are also aware of the possibility of receiving an additional rebate worth 10 per cent of their total electricity bill to be billed in 2024. All they have to do is reduce their electricity consumption by at least 10% between 1 October 2022 and 31 December 2023.

- The results of the latest YOTTA survey show a very high awareness among Poles of mechanisms that protect them from electricity price increases, such as the government's Solidarity Shield - says Maciej Maciejowski of the Polish Electricity Committee. It is also worth remembering the additional bonuses, such as the 125 PLN discount or the 10% bill reduction when reducing consumption, as they all translate into real savings for Polish families. How to reduce consumption without additional sacrifices? The Polish Electricity Association has made available on www.liczysieenergia.pl an interactive savings calculator to help us estimate how much energy unnecessarily escapes from our sockets every day - adds Maciej Maciejowski.

The amendment to the Electricity Consumer Protection Act 2023 not only increases the availability of cheap energy for households, but also reduces prices for businesses and public institutions. From 1 October 2023, the so-called maximum price that cannot be exceeded by an energy seller has fallen by approximately 12% - from PLN 785 to PLN 693 net per MWh. This means that people running their own businesses, e.g. hairdressing salons, car repair shops, estate shops, will pay significantly lower electricity bills. The solution also applies to all local authorities and so-called sensitive entities, e.g. night shelters, social care homes or nurseries. Awareness of this reduction, due to its short duration, is currently held by 11% of those surveyed in the YOTTA survey.