Elche to Subsidise Purchase of Bikes and Household Appliances
Elche town hall will subsidise the purchase of bicycles and household appliances to promote economic and energy savings for families.
Two lines of aid, with an approximate value of two million euro, have been created, according to the Councillor for Mobility, Esther Díez, and the Councillor for Energy Efficiency, Felip Sànchez.
Díez explained that, on the one hand, the first aid will be aimed at promoting alternative transport in the city and has announced that a bonus campaign will be developed for new Bicielx users that will also be applicable to current subscribers.
In addition, a budget line of 500,000 euro is opened to subsidise the purchase of touring bicycles, scooters, electrification kits and electric bicycles. “The purpose is to facilitate the change of modes of transport towards sustainable vehicles, which is the most ecological and economical option in the face of the exorbitant rise in fuel prices,” said the councillor.
“For this Municipal Government, the transformation towards a sustainable mobility model is key to making Elche a green city, since more than 80% of polluting emissions come from private transport,” said Díez, who recalled that the Bicielx service in more than 20 stations since 2015, in addition, the creation of new bike lanes in the city is being carried out and training is being provided through the courses of the Local Police driver education school.
Some actions, according to the councillor, are part of the new Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan that will be approved this week by the Governing Board to be raised to the plenary session on May 3.
On the other hand, Felip Sànchez has detailed that the energy efficiency aids have more than 1.3 million euro and are aimed at the purchase of electrical appliances in establishments of the municipality, since they represent more than 50% of the cost of electricity.
In this sense, Sànchez has highlighted two fundamental factors that affect the difficulty of families to be able to face these expenses such as the price of energy and habitual consumption in the home.
The councillor explained that with these grants the beneficiaries will reduce their electricity bills and achieve more sustainable consumption with less environmental impact. In addition, families that opt for this aid will be forced to remove their old appliances.
“The change of these devices for others more adapted may allow savings of between 95 and 100 euro per year”, as underlined by Sànchez, who has indicated that “the impact of the renovation of the fleet of electrical appliances in Elche will mean a very significant reduction in C02 emissions and will contribute to the fight against climate change in addition to reinforcing the objectives for the Elx2030 candidacy”.
This aid will materialise in the budget modification, in which nearly seven million euro have been allocated, which will be carried out with the treasury. This modification will enter into force at the end of May and it will be from June when these subsidy lines can be put into operation.
In addition, both councillors have assured that they will work hand in hand with the social agents to specify the way in which these aids will be granted in order to guarantee that they reach the families of Elche in an agile way.
