Milan. Goodbye to the protected market for gas bills. Today, after numerous postponements, for over 6 million non-vulnerable families there will be an end to this particular regime which guaranteed controlled tariffs. They will have to decide whether to choose a gas operator on the free market (many have already done so in the past months). If they do nothing they will automatically be transferred to the “Placet” regime under the new conditions. For approximately 2 million vulnerable families (over 75 years of age, income, disability) nothing will change and they will remain protected with tariffs defined month by month by Arera as in the past.
The move to free marks a significant change and paves the way for new dynamics in the sector. In July the electricity bill will also be transferred to the free market with 4.6 million non-vulnerable families involved. An era that played its role in guaranteeing regulated prices and protection for consumers will thus be definitively forgotten. Closely monitoring developments and taking appropriate measures will be crucial to ensure a balance between liberalisation, competition and consumer protection.
There are many doubts and uncertainties. Consumer protection associations fear rising tariffs. The conditions are not encouraging with rare offers that are more convenient than protected and “Placet”, higher rates in the south and non-existent savings.
The National Consumer Union has found that out of a total of almost 500 offers on the Arera Portal relating to the two largest cities in Italy, Rome and Milan, only three on the free market are more convenient than both the “Placet” and the vulnerability. Codacons, on the other hand, has calculated how much the transition to the free market will cost families if a fixed or variable price contract is chosen. The result is an extra expense of 242 euros per year per family with the fixed one and a saving of around 50 euros with the variable one. «By examining the best offers from the operators present on the specific comparator published on the Arera website, and considering the average consumption of a “typical” family of 1,400 cubic meters per year, we discover that fixed price contracts are significantly more expensive than to the rates charged to “vulnerable” users, i.e. those who will remain in the greater protection regime”, explains Codacons. Which points out another aspect: «The average gas bill, taking advantage of the best offers currently available in the main Italian cities, stands at 1,905.43 euros per year per unit, 14.56% heavier than the average bill estimated by Arera for 2024 for users who will remain in the protected market (also considering the return of VAT to 10% and 22% starting from January). A difference which equates to a greater expenditure on average equal to +242.28 euros per family per year”. With the variable price contract, i.e. indexed to market trends, the average gas bill, considering only the best offer in the various cities, stands at 1,620.55 euros per year (-2.57% compared to the protected price of 2024, equal to 42.97 euros less per year.
Differences also emerge between the north and south of the country. Assoutenti carried out a survey in 20 Italian cities on the new costs of supplies. For the fixed price, in Rome there is the highest expense for those who today choose a free market operator (2,045 euros per year). In second place among the main cities is Catanzaro (2,032 euros), followed by Palermo (2,024 euros). On the opposite front, the city with the best fixed price offer is Milan with 1,816 euros per year (best offer on the Arera portal) with a saving of 229 euros compared to Rome. Trieste, Bolzano and Trento follow with around 1,837 euros per year. Even for variable price contracts, Rome holds the record for the most expensive “estimated” bill, with an average of 1,754 euros per year per family. The most convenient is Trento, with an average bill estimated at 1,553 euros per year. Regional taxes but also different coefficients and transport costs have an impact. —
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