Electricity bills, protection ends on 30 June: what happens and what must be done to get a discount?

On June 30th, an era in the world of energy ends: on that date the Greater Light Protection Service will end (for gas it ended in January 2024)that type of supply in which prices and contractual conditions are established by an independent authority, the Arera. Based on the latest available data, nine million Italian families are still under protection. For the over 75s and the disabled, nothing changes, but – “vulnerable” aside – for other consumers a transitional regime has been studied, called the Gradual Protection Service (STG), to accompany them towards the free market, which will be the only regime possible from 1 April 2027.
Precisely because it is a form of support, even consumers who are currently on the free market have the right until midnight on 30 June to return to the Greater Protection Service in order to then move on to the Gradual Protection Service. This is a change that is good to know about in order to make informed choices (good help can be found on the site www.difenditicosi.it by the Competition and Market Authority and the Arera) without being influenced by aggressive marketing or unfair commercial practices, which the Antitrust has already sanctioned or is investigating. ​How does the new TSG regime work? What conditions and prices does it have? What advantages or additional services does the free market offer? Does protection also end for gas? And what happens to those who belong to the vulnerable category? Let’s see all the answers.