Energy: Energy companies can now apply a penalty to users for early termination
Starting from 1 January 2024, electricity suppliers have the right to apply a charge, a real penalty, to be paid by the customer who exercises the withdrawal before the expiry of the contract, in the case of fixed price offers and if the duration of the price or contract is for a fixed period of time (usually 12 or 24 months). This will severely limit consumers' ability to change contracts if the conditions offered by other operators are better, as reported by ItaliaOggi .
The new contractual situation is the result of an Arera resolution dated 6 June, which specifies how any penalties can be applied "exclusively in fixed-term and fixed-price contracts". Possible withdrawal charges also on permanent contracts if they have "economic conditions with a fixed price of a fixed duration", limited to the first period of validity of the economic conditions. So be careful if you are offered a pre-determined energy price in the contract.
If nothing else, according to the Arera resolution these charges must be pre-determined and clearly indicated in the contract, and cannot be calculated ex post. Other indications must be found in the "Methods and charges for withdrawal" box of the summary sheet, which summarizes the characteristics of the offer
A limitation of competition, but a guarantee for the contracts concluded by producers.
Consumer associations strongly protest. "A shame! We have repeatedly and in vain asked the Government and Parliament, by submitting observations to the recently passed competition law bill, to repeal the art. 7, paragraph 5 of Legislative Decree no. 210 of 8 November 2021, which provides that the electricity supplier can make customers pay a sum of money in the event of early withdrawal from a fixed-term or fixed-price supply contract" states Marco Vignola , head of the energy sector of ' National Consumers Union .
This measure is accompanied by the progressive elimination of the protected market, which has already ended for gas, but which has been extended by a few months for electricity. The government shows a certain concession towards private energy companies, although, on the other hand, the possibility of obtaining a refund in the event of early contract termination will allow energy companies to conclude more convenient medium-term contracts.
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The article Energy: energy companies can now apply a penalty to users in case of early withdrawal comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/energia-ora-le-aziende-energetiche-possono-applicare-una-penale-agli-utenti-in-caso-di-recesso-anticipato/ on Wed, 03 Jan 2024 11:00:24 +0000.