The drop in the gas bill for families still under the protected market regime continues. On the basis of the average trend of the Italian wholesale market in February 2023 and for consumption in the same month, for the standard family under protection there was a decrease of -13% in the bill compared to January 2023, which had already undergone a marked reduction. This is what was communicated by Arera, the Regulatory Authority for energy, networks and the environment.
The component of the gas price to cover procurement costs (CMEMm), applied to customers still in the protected market, is updated by ARERA as a monthly average of the price on the Italian wholesale market (the PSV day ahead) and published within the first 2 working days of the month following the reference month.
For the month of February, which recorded an even lower average wholesale price than that of January, the price of the gas raw material (CMEMm), for customers with contracts under protected conditions, is equal to 56 .87 euros/MWh.
The reduction for the month of February, in terms of final effects, is close to offsetting the high price levels achieved in the last year, with gas expenditure for the typical household in the rolling year (March 2022-February 2023) resulting of approximately 1666.23 euros, +16% compared to the equivalent 12 months of the previous year (March 2021-February 2022).
The news of the February drop is positive for the pockets of families who could soon also see a reduction in electricity costs. However, there are still other knots as the consumer associations point out. The eye is turned to the end of the month when the zeroing of system charges will expire.
«Electricity tariffs for the second quarter of 2023 will also record a decrease by virtue of the drop in prices on international markets, but the unknown factor of system charges hangs over the electricity and gas bills of Italians – warns the president Carlo Rienzi – In fact, the zeroing of charges decided by the Government will expire on March 31st, a measure which if it is not extended will raise Italian bills as soon as they are opened, nullifying the tariff cuts of the last period».
The emergency is not over
«If, thanks to the warmest winter ever and, in part, to the gas price ceiling, families have had a shot in the arm, bills are far from being back to normal and remain heart attack-inducing for too many Italians » says Marco Vignola, head of the energy sector of the National Consumer Union
According to the Unc’s calculations, if -13% for a typical family under guardianship means spending 181 euros less on an annual basis, the total expenditure in the next twelve months (not, therefore, according to the rolling year, but from 1st February 2023 to 31 January 2024, in the hypothesis of constant prices) remains at the astronomical figure of 1210 euros, which added to the 1434 of the light taken in January, determine a total blow of 2644 euros.
If the price of gas drops by 13% compared to January 2023 and by 37% compared to February 2022, compared to the pre-crisis period, i.e. in comparison with February 2021 it is still 22.3% higher. Compared, then, to the annual expenditure of 2020, equal to 975 euros, in 2023 235 euros more will be paid only for gas.
«The Government must renew all the discounts expiring on 31 March, from the zeroing of system charges to the 5% VAT on gas. It would be a fatal mistake for the country not to do so, a tsunami for the pockets of Italians. It is also urgent to postpone the end of the protected electricity market, which for condominiums and associations is expected in less than 1 month, on April 1, 2023, only because they are incomprehensibly considered micro-enterprises» concludes Vignola.