Adjustment clause will return
The extension by the Energy Ministry of the current system on power bills up to September 30 means that, according to the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE), the electricity bills with the adjustment clause will be back as of October. The watchdog therefore offers some pieces of advice to consumers, so as to avoid the problems of the past, as well as certain guidelines for service suppliers. The goal is for the transition to the previous pricing regime to be carried out as smoothly as possible and with transparency for consumers.
At the heart of the guidelines, according to RAE's own update in the monthly report on the retail electricity market in April, is the possible modification of supply contracts, so it calls on suppliers to provide consumers with a detailed description of the terms that are to be modified (or the new terms) at least two months in advance before the impending amendment (i.e. up to July 31) by individual letter and not through bills.
RAE is, however, said to be determined to protect consumers as much as possible against misleading practices by scrutinizing monthly bills. In the April report, it points out to consumers the “pitfalls” it has identified and provides useful advice on how to avoid them. Consumers should be particularly careful with the various categories of discounts, as well as the most attractive deals with particularly low prices that several suppliers have recently launched to attract new customers without it being clear that these do not cover their existing customers.
The authority advises consumers to be particularly careful with regard to consistency discounts, examining in detail the terms of each tariff and not simply be drawn in by an attractive commercial policy that can act as a “misleading lure.”
As the regulator says, it has identified the intention of some suppliers to provide early payment/consistency discounts, which however do not prove to be fixed every month; they usually decrease after two months. Consumers should also note how the discount is awarded during their period in the program and whether it is awarded both quantitatively and in time, as stated in their contract.