January 10th is first day of free market for gas which sees the end of the so-called protected market. It should be noted that if a user decides not to do anything he will automatically move on to I like the tariff, and will remain with its protected market manager. A convenient but not advantageous choice given that this tariff is slightly more expensive in terms of monthly fees than the one on the free market developed by the same operator. To tell the truth, with the complete opening of the market to competition we expected to find more competitive rates. Instead, as also underlined byConsumers Uniondoing a search on the Arera portal for the city of Rome results just 3 free market offers more convenient than both the placet tariff and the one reserved for vulnerable customers, i.e. those over 75 or disabled who will remain in the protected market, on a total of 458 offers, i.e. 0.66%. Even in Milan there are only 3 improvements out of 479 offers, just 0.63%.
Disheartening results for the Consumers Union
“The results are discouraging to say the least. Not only are they the most convenient free market offers are almost non-existentbut the risk is not only that of paying a few tens of euros more per year compared to the bill you are paying now, but that of falling into a real trap and ending up with heart attack bills of 8 thousand, 6 thousand, 4 thousand euros” – he said Marco Vignola, responsible for the energy sector of the National Consumers Union. No one will run out of gas as some incorrect call center operators would have you believe. Service continuity is always guaranteed. You don’t have to change supplier by responding to a telephone or door-to-door proposal, even if it is portrayed as the best in the world. Better to find the offer on the Arera offers portal, entering your consumption”.
The safest choice is on the Arera fare portal
According to the Consumers Union, if you live in Roma, inserting for gas the placet offer at variable prices of the main operator in the city, the one dedicated to domestic customers who do not choose a offered on the free marketcompared to the higher protection one from which they come, you will pay 1.05 euros more per year.
In total there are 458 offers if you are not careful you can pay 6 thousand euros more
In the free market, however, there are 3 offers that are more convenient, albeit slightly more than the placet (and the former greater protection) out of a total of 458 offers, i.e. 0.66%. All the others cost more and you can pay up to 8,601.84 euros per year, well +6,803.59 more than the placet. For the record, the most convenient rate (the calculation was made taking an annual consumption of 1400 cubic metres) is equal to 1,754.51 euros, -43.74 euros compared to the annual rate. In Milan, by inserting the placet offer at variable prices of the main operator in the city (i.e. A2a ed.) for gas, the one dedicated to domestic customers will pay 1679 or 81 euros more than the 1597.51 euros which was the cost of the protected market which will remain for so-called vulnerable customers. Also in this case there are only 3 free market offers that are more convenient than the former protected market while 18 are better than the placet rate out of a total of 479 offers. The most convenient is equal to 1,554.46, i.e. 43.05 euros less than the vulnerability, 125.04 euros less than the placet. But the real problem is that the most expensive one can make the same bill reach up to 8,401.79 euros per year, a good +6,722.29 euros more than the and 6,804.28 euros more than the protection of vulnerability.
Auctions for the electricity market begin: challenge on the marketing price
And after the one-month postponement, the auctions also begin to assign the approximately 4.5 non-vulnerable domestic electricity customers who, as required by law, will leave the enhanced protection regime from July 1st. Who will not have chosen to move to the free market, it will in fact enter a transitional regime called “Gradual protection service” (Stg), which will last until March 2027 with the price of the raw material variable. These customers they have been divided into 26 lots which correspond to territorial areas and will be assigned to some of the 20 companies participating in the auctions with rules defined by Arera. And perhaps in this case there will be some advantage for consumers, at least in the more populous areas, given that whoever offers the lowest marketing price wins. Every company will be able to have the maximum seven lots and 30% nationwide. The marketing price or Pcv it is a fixed cost present in the electricity bill (and also in the gas bill) which covers the costs of managing customers and is practically the only item where managers can compete. In the protected market it is equal to 65.43 per year, in the free one it is practically always higher, up to 120 euros per year. But after the races this price should hopefully drop.