Electricity suppliers – Negative to RAE proposals for invoicing and bills

For the second time in a few months, the energy suppliers, PPC and private providers, are opposed to the context of the interventions of the Energy Regulatory Authority, which, according to RAE, aim at the transparency of the bills that consumers pay for electricity.

This time the "no" came in the supplementary package of the Regulator's proposals that concerns the configuration of three categories of invoices with risk rating but also the introduction of printed invoices in a single format. With regard to tariffs, it is recalled that the Authority's proposal provides for fixed billing to be defined as "zero risk" invoices, floating billing with a surcharge limit to be defined as "marginal risk" invoicing and floating billing without a surcharge limit to be considered as "High Risk".

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RAE published yesterday the positions of the participants in the public consultation on its aforementioned proposals.

More specifically, private providers, some indirectly and others directly, emphasize that the proposed interventions limit competition and at the same time increase risk of harming consumers, especially with the specific categorization of tariffs.

The latter is shown by the example given by the Hellenic Association of Energy Suppliers: For example, a fixed invoice with a two-year commitment that would be classified as "zero risk" could currently look more attractive to the consumer than a "high risk" invoice. However, in the event of a de-escalation of current wholesale market prices in the coming months, the "zero risk" tariff will ultimately be particularly detrimental to the consumer who, by the end of his contract, will be forced to procure energy at prices much higher than those which would correspond to a floating invoice...