Energy: Simplified bills and standardized format for electricity and gas
Milan, June 17, 2009
Italian versionClearer, simpler, more transparent electricity and gas bills, in order to make them increasingly easier to understand for consumers. This is the aim of the proposals drafted by the energy Regulatory Authority on the subject of the suppliers’ billing documents, in order to strengthen the guarantee of informed, knowledgeable, and convenient choices for consumers and to facilitate the comparison of the offers of the various competitors in the new, free energy market.
The proposals are contained in the Consultation Document (DCO 13/09), that presents four different options for regulating billing document transparency, plus one bill format option for dual-fuel (gas and electricity together) offers.
In order to verify the preferences of the various consumer categories involved in the procedure, in terms of the transparency and completeness of the information contained in today’s bills, and to find out their opinions on the possible alternatives described in the document, a nationwide opinion poll will also be conducted.
The main innovations proposed to make the bills easier to read and understand, without penalizing their necessary completeness, concern the improvement of the clarity of the consumption summary tables and simplified detail tables, and the harmonization of the structure and contents of electricity and gas bills.
In fact, the growing spread of joint (“dual fuel”) offers makes it necessary to standardize and make uniform the contents of the billing documents for the two services that supply electricity and gas, so as to guarantee equivalent levels of transparency and readability.
In order to ensure broad approval and acceptance of the result, the document with the proposals drafted by the Authority will be the subject of a thorough consultation proceedings involving operators, consumers, their associations, and all parties concerned. In fact, a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) is envisaged for the document, making it possible to evaluate the effects of a regulatory decision, assessing its effectiveness in advance through a thorough, in-depth exchange with the parties involved, a definition of the goals, comparisons among alternative options, the weighing of costs and benefits for those concerned, and an assessment of the possible impact in economic, social, and environmental terms.
Moreover, meetings with consumers and informational seminars with their associations will be organised to render the consultation process as participatory as possible.
“Considering the development of the markets, it is increasingly necessary to guarantee more and more advanced protection for consumers, acting further on the quality of the information provided by suppliers on the utility bills and the way it is presented,” said Mr. Alessandro Ortis, President of the Energy Regulatory Authority. “the bill itself is a fundamental communication channel between customers and supplier companies, and it is also the main instrument in consumers’ handsto verify the correct application of the economic terms they have agreed on, and to decide freely and consciounsly whether and when to take advantage of any convenient opportunities that might come up in the liberalized markets.”
On the basis of the first observations and proposals that the operators and consumers will send in, a second document will be prepared for consultation. This document will present for each of the aspects examined, the best action option, with a further, more detailed description of its characteristics.
The Consultation Document DCO 13/09, created using procedure ARG/com 148/08 and available on the Authority’s website (www.autorita.energia.it), is part of a process started up some time ago for the progressive simplification and harmonization of utility bills under the Directives on the transparency of electricity (Resolution no. 152/06) and gas (Resolution no. 42/99) billing documents.
The consultation document is being spread in order to offer the opportunity, to all parties concerned, to formulate observations and proposals on the topics dealt with. In addition to the specific consultation points present in the document, it is possible to report other problems that may not be mentioned, and also indicate proposals for possible solutions.
The parties interested are asked to send their observations and suggestions to the Authority by 31st July 2009.