The era of the protected market ends for the electricity market on July 1st. There are therefore only a few days left, which also equate to the last chances for those who in recent years have chosen the free market to go back and fall into what are called gradual protections. The gradual protections are a “soft” transition that will last three years, from 1 July 2024 to 31 March 2027, during which prices will be set by Arera and where, probably, there will be a marketing price so low as to guarantee significant savings to those who choose them over the next three years.
However, there is a problem: to date no one has any idea how much this actual saving is, and even consumer associations are uncertain: according to Consumerismo, in fact, a saving in terms of money of 130 euros per year has been calculated, while Assoutenti he even talks about 300 euros a year.
It is clear that there will be savings for those who choose to return to the protected market, and it will not be the price of energy that will have an impact as much as the marketing costs which, for those who return to the gradual protection market, they should be almost zero for the next three yearscosting around 15 euros per month.
It is no coincidence that operators in this period have started to offer sale prices by adding super bonuses to their offers: just go to the Arera portal to see Enel applying a discount of up to 180 euros per month to those who decide to stay on the free market. year, 15 euros per month deducted from each bill.
Enel is not stupid, on the contrary: it is trying, like all its competitors, to keep as many people as possible anchored to the free market because Every user who switches to phased protections represents a huge cost to the utilityhaving participated in auctions with falling prices.
Yet the numbers of those who have chosen to save are very low: according to the data provided by Arera in May 2024 only 13,823 users abandoned the free market to return to the protected market, in April 7,752 and in March 5,239 families.
There are around 25,000 users out of the millions of active users, a ridiculous percentage, and this means that all the others did not trust the savings announced, but never put on paper, and were captured by the operators’ offers. Millions of people have not taken advantage of an opportunity that will never be repeated again: those who do not pass (or have not passed) by July 1, 2024 will remain on the free market.
Arera on Thursday will spread the price adjustment of electricity bills according to the old rules and it will anticipate what the cost will be for the few users who have chosen to abandon an offer that was perhaps also excellent on the free market to save on the marketing fee in the coming years.
If there were to be a saving of around 150 euros per year many will probably eat their hands, but it will be too late.
