Difficulty switching to gas suppliers on the regulated market has led to complaints and requests for information from consumers to Vereniging Deco, which has asked the government for new measures, such as facilitating platforms for the simultaneous transfer of gas and electricity.
More than drawbacks, it is the “difficulties” in switching to a natural gas supplier in the regulated market that lead consumers to turn to the consumer support agency Deco consumer protection association Ana Sofia Ferreira, Lusa explained.
“We have received several requests for information and requests for support in the context of this transition to the regulated natural gas market,” he said, specifying that one of the main doubts is the lack of knowledge of the change process and the lack of information.
“Many” consumers who turn to the support office are not aware of the date of the change of supplier, when they will receive the bill or end a contract and start another, others because they were surprised by increases in electricity bills because they lost discounts because they were not with the same gas and electricity supplier.
“What we see is that consumers are not properly warned about the consequences of a possible change” in the regulated gas market, said Ana Sofia Ferreira, explaining that the change of supplier for gas, while staying the same supplier for electricity, could lead to fines. for the loss of discounts given on contracts with both services simultaneously.
“The electricity tariff becomes more expensive and what you gain when you move to the regulated market for natural gas, you lose in the end,” he said, recalling that the intention of the legislator, by allowing the change to the regulated market, is not so as to harm the consumer.
“The intention [do legislador] is to respond to an energy crisis and the inflation that we are experiencing, and to help consumers,” he recalls, adding that Deco has also called on the Ministry of the Environment to make it clear through legislation that a modification of the regulated market cannot imply a penalty for early termination of the contract, which has a contracted loyalty period.
According to Deco, not all consumers are aware of the possibility of switching to the regulated market for electricity as well.
However, those who change are obliged to deal with two systems, one for the transition to the regulated gas market and the other for the electricity market, which are two different processes, with different entities and different requirements, which the association believes is difficult as consumer.
At the end of last week, the association sent a letter to the Ministry of the Environment expressing its “concern” about the process of switching to traders on the regulated market, explains Ana Sofia Ferreira.
In the document, the association argued for a way to make the two systems equivalent, namely in terms of requirements, and that instead of each company creating its own platform to enter the regulated market, one platform would be created in which the possibility for consumers to simultaneously switch to the regulated gas and electricity market.
According to the proposed national budget, the transition to the regulated natural gas market will have a budget cost of €60 million in 2023, as a result of the loss of potential VAT revenue.
Assuming that all consumers eligible to return to the regulated market effectively return to the regulated rate, according to the document, the government estimated a maximum total saving on return to the regulated market at EUR 56.7 million per month. .
Assuming the same pricing terms will apply in the free and regulated markets for 12 months, the government estimates that the measure could deliver “total total savings for consumers of more than €680.4 million by 2023”.
1.5 million consumers of low-pressure natural gas are covered, with a consumption of less than 10,000 cubic meters (m3) per year.
Source: DN
