Electricity: The Authority starts the new "Trova offerte" for finding and comparing market offers
Milan, April 08, 2009
Finding the electricity supplier that best suits one's needs by comparing different proposals available on the market. This is possible thanks to "Trova offerte": a simple tool now available on Italian Regulator's website (www.autorita.energia.it), which enables consumers to compare offers of many suppliers.
Italian versionThanks to the "Trova offerte" search engine, it is now possible to identify and compare electricity offers in a certain area and evaluate the various conditions and costs, taking into account also the "greatest protection" conditions set by the Authority on a quarterly basis (*).
The tool is very simple to use: the consumer has just to enter the post code of his local municipality and indicate his contract type and annual consumption, informations which can be easily found on any electricity bill. By following the instructions of the various windows, it will be possible to browse the offers of various suppliers operating in the chosen area.
Suppliers can join "Trova Offerte " on a voluntary basis. So far, 12 operators have subscribed: A.B. Energie S.r.l., AGSM Energia S.p.A., A2A, Edison Energia S.p.A., Enel Energia S.p.A., Eni S.p.A. Div. Gas&Power, Flyenergia S.p.A., Hera Comm S.r.l., Iride S.p.A., Sorgenia S.p.A., Italcogim Energia S.p.A., and Trenta S.p.A.
"The liberalisation of the electricity market is producing positive results, by giving consumers more and more freedom of choice, with a growing range of offers and suppliers competing each other. It is therefore increasingly important to find the most suitable electricity package for one's needs, by comparing the various offers on the market," pointed out Mr. Alessandro Ortis, President of the Italian Regulator. "Thanks to "Trova Offerte", it will be much easier to find and compare the offers of the various suppliers emerging on the domestic electricity market. It's a way to help consumers make increasingly informed and educated decisions. Now what we hope," concluded Mr. Ortis, "is that more and more competitive operators will join ‘Trova Offerte ', with a wider range of transparent and advantageous alternatives."
The new tool follows in the footsteps of other initiatives already undertaken by the Regulator to inform consumers and help them to make their way through the liberalised market. Other examples are the "comparison table" with the Regulator's conditions of reference, which all suppliers must include in their offers; the toll-free number 800.166.654, to answer any questions on the liberalisation novelties; the "Simple Energy" guide; the "FAQs"; the "Consumer Window". All these services are already available on the Regulator's website.
(*) The conditions of reference, or greater protection conditions, are the prices set by the Authority, which must be obligatorily offered to households and small businesses that have not yet decided to switch to a new market supplier. In fact, starting July 1st 2007, all consumers are free to choose from among the various alternatives coming out on the market or take advantage of the economic conditions of reference set by the Authority. In any case, the standards and regulations set by the Authority on the technical and commercial quality of the services apply to any type of choice and supply.