The federal program that guarantees free electricity bills already benefits 4,1 million families in the country, according to a report released this Friday (20). The government's goal is to expand the reach to around 7 million homes in the coming years.
Named "Light of the People," the initiative was established by Provisional Measure No. 1.300/2025, later converted into Law No. 15.235/2025. The regulation reformulated and expanded the criteria for the Social Electricity Tariff, which already existed but operated with partial discounts.
Under the new rules, low-income families with monthly consumption of up to 80 kWh will have their electricity bill completely free. Any excess volume will be charged normally by the distributor. Before the change, the Social Tariff granted tiered discounts, between 10% and 65%, for consumption of up to 220 kWh per month.
The law also established an exemption from CDE (Energy Development Account) For families with a per capita income between half and one minimum wage, provided that consumption does not exceed 120 kWh per month.
The CDE is the main sector charge embedded in the tariff and finances public policies in the electricity sector. According to the government, the measure could reduce the bill for these consumers by up to 11,8% on average. Above this consumption limit, there is no discount.
Access criteria
Full exemption is automatically granted to families registered in the CadÚnico (Single Registry) with a monthly income per person of up to half the minimum wage or who receive the BPC (Continuous Benefit Payment). Families with an income of up to three minimum wages who have members with disabilities or illnesses requiring continuous use of electrical equipment are also entitled.
Tariff impact
The expansion of free services will be financed by other consumers through the CDE. According to the ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency)The new program design is expected to add R$2,6 billion to the cost in 2026. As a result, the total cost of the social tariff should rise from R$7,8 billion in 2025 to R$10,4 billion this year.
In total, the CDE's projected budget for 2026 is R$ 52,7 billion, a 7% increase compared to the amount estimated for 2025, reinforcing the debate about cross-subsidies and tariff moderation in the electricity sector.
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