For the month of June, which saw wholesale prices rise compared to those recorded in May, the price of the gas raw material alone (CMEM,m), for customers in the vulnerability protection service, is equal to 36.11 euros/MWh (for supplies of natural gas with a reference higher calorific value equal to 0.038520 GJ/Smc). This is what was announced byHe is nurturing in the communication of the value of the raw material of the Gas Vulnerability Protection Service for the month of June 2024.
In detail for the month of June 2024, the reference gas price for the typical customer (the typical family has an average gas consumption of 1,100 cubic meters per year) is equal to 107.55 euro cents per cubic meter (+3.8% on May). Expenditure for natural gas material: 42.20 euro cents (equal to 39.23% of the total bill) for the supply of natural gas and related activities; 6.15 euro cents (5.72% of the total bill) for retail sales. Cost of transport and management of the meter: 24.53 euro cents (22.8% of the total bill) for distribution, measurement, transport, distribution equalization, quality services. System charge expenditure: 2.95 euro cents (2.74% of the total bill) for general system charges; Taxes: 31.73 euro cents (29.5% of the total bill) for taxes.
“With the increase in gas rates for vulnerable customers, the expenditure of a typical family that consumes 1,100 cubic meters per year increases by 43 euros on an annual basis, bringing it to an average of 1,183 euros in the hypothesis of constant prices” he states Assoutenti, commenting on the tariff update arranged by Arera.
“The weakest users who fall into the vulnerability category are suffering from the increases in wholesale gas prices, to the point that the June tariffs are 19% higher than those in force in the same period last year, when the price of gas was 90.39 euro cents per cubic meter, with an increase in expenditure equal to +189 euros per family on an annual basis – comments the Honorary President and Energy Manager of Assoutenti, Furio Truzzi –. But the most serious thing is that on the free gas market the rates are not falling as expected, and competition between operators is struggling to take off, with the consequence that Italians continue to pay a high price for the gas that reaches their homes”.
The increase in gas bills for vulnerable users decided today by Arera “represents the second consecutive tariff increase, and reflects the tensions recorded on the international energy markets – states the Codacons –. The most fragile customers, namely those who fall under the ‘vulnerability’ regime, are suffering from the continuous increases in wholesale prices, which fortunately will have less of an impact on consumers’ pockets, as heating systems are turned off during this period of the year. The real problem, however, is represented by gas rates on the free market, where rates are still high for both fixed-price and variable-price contracts, since, contrary to expectations, the long-awaited competition between operators capable of reducing gas bills has not been generated”.
Of a different opinion Marco Vignola, vice-president of the National Consumers Union for which the effect of the gas price increase in June “is zero since the heating season is over”. “Despite the increase, the pieces of the Vulnerability Protection Service – he underlines Vignola – remain more convenient than almost all the offers currently available on the free market. In fact, you can count on one hand the lowest free market offers on the protection market and, considering the annual consumption of a typical customer, 1,100 cubic meters of gas, the saving in those cases is just over 2 euros per year. In short, anyone who has turned 75 would do well to go to the Arera Offers Portal and compare the various prices”. According to the study by the National Consumers Union, for the typical new user who consumes 1100 cubic meters of gas, +3.8% means spending 43 euros (42.79 euros) more on an annual basis. The total expenditure in the next twelve months (not, therefore, according to the sliding year, but from June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025, assuming constant prices), thus rises to 1183 euros, which added to the 486 of the electricity of the typical new customer who consumes 2,000 kWh per year, determine a total expenditure equal to 1669 euros. If the price of gas rises today by 3.8%, in comparison with pre-crisis times, i.e. compared to the protected market price of June 2021, based on the new historical series reconstructed according to the typical new customer, the price is today 46.1% higher, while compared to the peak of June 2022 it is 13.3% lower.
