2024 sees the end of protected market for electricity and gas: Users are then asked to choose a supplier from the free market by July 1st for electricity – while for gas it has already been chosen in January. But what changes from the protected market to the free one? how to save on electricity and gas bills? Here’s what you need to know.
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What changes between the protected and free market
The transition from protected market to that free brings with it a significant change: the prices of bill and the contractual conditions will no longer be under the control of the Arera (Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment), but will depend on the suppliers’ offers. Both for the light that for the gastherefore, users will have to choose a new supplier with which to sign a new contract: the new supplier will then communicate the change to the old one.
Who should not choose the free market: the exceptions
They don’t have to move on straight away free market the people considered vulnerable such as those over 75, those who receive the social bonus on their bills due to economic hardship, people with disabilities or who live in emergency housing, are exempt from the transition. The vulnerability protection service will enter for these people and families. In practice, the supply of gas will continue with the economic conditions established by Arera, maintaining the same billing methods and a protected price similar to that of the Placet gas offer.
How to save on electricity and gas bills with the free market
During 2024, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment calculated that the customers of the free market they will spend around 38 euro cents per kilowatt hour on electricity, while for those with the greater protection service the cost is around 33 euro cents per kilowatt hour. This difference is due to the change in prices in the protected market during the year. In the first half of 2023, the greatest convenience was found in free marketbut in the last six months of the same year the prices of protected market have significantly decreased.
How to move to the free market
The transition to free market involves around three million families in the protection service: Arera provides an offer portal to compare proposals. As happened for those who did not switch to free gas market by 31 December 2023, also for the light those who do not choose a book market supplier automatically switch to a variable Placet offer for one year, based on the supplier who won the auction for the area in which they live. The transition to the free market does not involve additional costs or technical interventions. Just choose the most suitable offer and sign the new contract to receive the bills.
How to choose a new electricity and gas supplier
The best way to choose a new one electricity and gas supplier In the free market is to evaluate the offers proposed based on your annual consumption, which can be obtained from the data present on the bills. In this way, it is also possible to save on the free market: “You need to look for information on annual consumption and for an in-depth analysis of your bill you need to go to the detail part. The expenditure for energy is found there: you will find a total and then below you will see the construction of the price. The first item is expressed in €/kwh or €/Smc and can be fixed or variable. The second item is instead a fixed component expressed in euros per month, as if it were a subscription. and which is independent of consumption. Both are decided by the suppliers and this is where we need to look to compare the offers” explained Paolo Benazzi, utilities director of Segugio.it.
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