Tgcom24
Energy, what are the protected market and the free market?
THE protection services are supplies of electricity and gas at economic and contractual conditions established by theArera, Regulatory authority for energy, networks and the environment. For electricity there is a single operator which varies depending on the different locations in the country. After a long dispute with Brussels, Italy had to adapt to European directives and established the end of the protected gas and electricity market by 2024. In the free market suppliers establish prices independently and consumers can choose from a variety of offers.
News data end of protected market: when does it end for gas
From January 2024 the gas protection service is no longer available and can no longer be chosen if you do not vulnerable customers by age, economic difficulty or disability. For these categories it is possible to have a supply under conditions and tariffs regulated by Arera.
Greater protection market deadline: when will the national electricity service close?
From the 1 July 2024 the non-vulnerable electricity customer who does not have an existing contract on the free market will automatically switch to the Gradual Protection Service and will be assigned to the winning seller of the auction in the area in which he is located. The Service lasts just under three years, that is until March 31, 2027. In the absence of an express choice, at the end of this period the customer will always be supplied by the same seller on the basis of their free market offer and their most favorable rates. Last December, Arera announced that the protected market remains for four million families.
When does the protected electricity market expire?
The transition to the gradual protection service will begin from 1 July 2024, which will last three years.
What is better: greater protection or free market?
In theory, the free market should be convenient because, as there is competition between suppliers, the offers should be more advantageous for consumers. However, Arera reported for the first two months of 2024 the absence of advantageous offers for electricity supply on the free market, to which are added the increases in bills expected for the coming months. The president of Arera explained that competition is not enough to lower prices. In this period, therefore, the greater protection service was more convenient. Even more so since, in February, Arera announced that customers in the protected market will save 73 euros per year on their electricity bills.
How much does electricity cost in the protected market and when does it end?
Arera has activated a platform on its portal, the Offer Portal, where it is possible to compare the rates of the free market and also those of the protected market. The enhanced protection service ends in July.
Can one return to the protected regime?
Yes, for the light. In fact, Arera has started an information campaign and activated one on its website digital platform thanks to which, by doing a specific search on the site, you can identify the electricity manager that provides the service with greater protection in your municipality of residence. It will be possible to return to the protected market only until 30 June 2024 without putting the continuity of supply at risk.
Why stay in the protected market?
By returning to the protected market you have the advantage of a system of economic conditions regulated by the energy authority, i.e. Arera.
Extension of the protected electricity market, how does the Arera platform work?
The aim is to facilitate the return of those entitled to the greater protection electricity supply market, i.e. the protected market. By connecting to this portal, citizens will be able to enter a search engine the name of the municipality in which they reside. In a few minutes you will be provided with the name and contact details of the company from which you can request the return to greater protection. Thanks to this search engine, therefore, you will be able to find out which company to contact in your municipality. For those who do not use the Internet, it is possible to obtain the same information by telephone contacting the Energy and Environment Consumer Help Desk in Arera, which responds to the number 800.166.654.
Free electricity market: how to return to the protected market?
After having identified the electricity supplier of their municipality on the platform on the Arera website, the consumer must contact him expressly requesting the switch to the higher protection service and declaring that he wishes to withdraw from the contract with the free market operator. There return request must be presented using the module made available by the operator, where you must indicate in addition to your personal details, also the Pod number and the tax and cadastral data of the property relating to the user you want to transfer.
In this regard, Arera recommended that operators offering the protected market: keep the information up to date relating to the greater protection service on the company’s contact channels, including the website”, to give “adequate evidence, possibly on the home page of the website, to the methods that domestic end customers can adopt to access the greater protection service protection, even returning from the free market”. Arera has also ordered that merchants make available “on the website and, upon request of the end customer, also through other contact channels, the necessary documentation to request the signing of the enhanced protection service contract, informing of the right of reconsideration if the contract is signed outside the business premises or remotely and the methods for waiving it, for the purposes of immediate execution of the contract”. All consumers are guaranteed the right to change their mind.
How long does it take to return to the protected market?
Arera recommended to operators that “the transmission of contractual documentation by domestic end customers be facilitated, also through telematic channels that do not require forms of accreditation and/or via email”. Furthermore, it asked to “limit as much as possible the time between the date of receipt of the request formulated by the end customer for the purpose of signing the greater protection contract and the date of sending to the Integrated Information System (SII) of the data necessary for the activation of the service”. Processing times should therefore not be long, and all users’ right to change their minds will always be guaranteed.
Electricity bills, when does the possibility of returning to the protected market expire?
Domestic customers of an electricity utility have until June 30, 2024 to request a return to the price protections of the protected market. In fact, starting from 1 July 2024 the automatic transition to the gradual protection service will begin for all users and only domestic customers considered vulnerable will remain in greater protection.
75 years old and disadvantaged: who are the vulnerable customers
As specified on the Arera website, citizens over the age of 10 are considered vulnerable domestic customers 75 years oldthose who are in disadvantaged economic conditions; who is in serious health conditions, such as to require the use of medical equipment powered by electricity and those with a disability pursuant to Article 3 of Law 104/92. Furthermore, according to the same legislation, people who are also vulnerable they live in an emergency housing facility following calamitous events and those who live and have electricity on a non-interconnected island in smaller Italy.
Is Plenitude a free or protected market?
Plenitude operates in the free market with commercial offers for both gas and electricity. But it also has offers for the vulnerability protection service.
Free market or greater protection: the advice of Altroconsumo
The consumer association Altro Consumo has developed a series of advice for those who want to switch to the free market (or are forced to do so). In particular, you need to pay attention not only to the tariffs, but also to the quality of service. As for tariffs, you need to rely on estimates on an annual basis, especially in recent months where variable price offers have become established. In fact, for offers where the price of the energy component is indexed to the wholesale market, the tariff could change from the moment in which you choose to switch with that operator.
To understand what should be done, you have to always have your bill at hand, know your consumption and the prices that are applied to us. In particular, it is necessary to know the percentage of consumption in the different time slots and the trend over the last 12 months. Pay attention to the offers offered to us by call center: lately there have been many cases of offers made incorrectly and often aggressively. You should never choose on impulse. Rather, it is better to ask the operator on the phone to send us the documentation so that we can study it calmly. Also, never forget that the right of reconsideration. If, after signing an offer, you realize that you have made a mistake, within 14 days of joining you can communicate to the new supplier your wish to interrupt the procedure. But be careful: you must not have requested immediate activation, i.e. before the 14 days for change of mind have passed. In fact, in the latter case you will have to pay the seller any costs incurred in the meantime. Periodically it is better to do a check your billsto check what you are paying for and if there is better on the market.
