Now the transition from the protected market to the free one in the gas and electricity sector it is almost finished: after having explained how to find the best offers for energy, however, we have to give you some bad news. Apparently, in fact, the protected market remains more convenient than the free one.
Reporting it is Stefano Besseghini, the President of ARERA (the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment), which during a hearing in the Chamber of Deputies on 27 March explained that «the protected market is cheaper than the free one». Besseghini’s estimate is also supported by the data: figures in hand, the protected market is more convenient than the free one.
In particular, the average price recorded in 2023 for a kilowatt hour of electricity came close to 40 cents on the free market, while in the protected market it was equal to 28 cents. In 2024, the figures will not be that different: the transition from the protected to the free market for energy has increased average prices in the protected sector up to 33 cents per kilowatt hour, higher than last year but still lower than those of the free, with prices of around 38 cents per kilowatt hour.
However, we remind you that the protected market for electricity will end on 1 July and all users will have to switch to the free market: anyone who does not choose an operator to turn to will automatically be switched to the gradual protection regime, which will have a fixed tariff decided by ARERA and the operator who will win the users of the “undecided”.
Besseghini concluded by reiterating theimportance of the protected market for citizensconfirming ARERA’s commitment to asserting their rights in this delicate phase: «Arera has written to operators to recommend making it easier for consumers to benefit from the greater protection service. On the Arera website there is a page dedicated to returning, with the mechanisms required by the 10 operators who they represent 90% of the market».
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