Brussels, 01/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The Citizens' Energy Forum in London on 29 and 30 September 2009, attended by EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, the Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, representatives of consumer organisations, industry and regulators endorsed recommendations for good practice in billing from Austria, Italy, Sweden, the UK and Norway, aiming to provide EU consumers with simple, clear and informative gas and electricity bills. The recommendations contain a specific list of items to be included in bills. The elements in a bill which are key to comparing offers could be included in a Comparability Box, featuring prominently on the bill. The items include: the duration of the contract and the required notice period for switching suppliers; the customer's switching code (needed to change suppliers); clear indication of the base price(s) per unit of energy (kilowatt hour or kWh), before taxes and without additional charges, as the main element for comparison between suppliers; and a reference to a clear breakdown of the total price (including consumption, network and distribution charges, taxes and any other price elements). The Citizens' Energy Forum will monitor progress.
The adoption of the Third Internal Energy Market Legislative package in June 2009 (see EUROPE 9887) delivered concrete benefits for consumers. In addition to providing tighter deadlines on switching times and the receipt of final bills, the package facilitates the active participation of consumers in the retail energy market through the introduction of Smart Meters. The new technology will remove many billing problems through the provision of accurate, real-time information to consumers. The new billing should also help consumers switch providers. Many EU consumers find their bills hard to comprehend. The information provided about costs is often unclear and prevents proper comparison with other suppliers. The Commission says that fewer than three in five consumers (58%) say they are happy with their electricity provider but only 8% changed supplier in the past two years. Fewer than half of the consumers who changed supplier (45%) believe it is easy to compare the offers provided by the different electricity suppliers. Meglena Kuneva comments in a press release: "We want a utility bill to make useful reading for consumers. Today, too many European consumers find their bills unreadable and impossible to understand. And too many find themselves unable to switch providers: with all the confusing information they find on their bills, switching becomes mission impossible."
Set up in 2008, the Citizens' Energy Forum is a forum for swapping information that will help ensure proper application of consumer rights within the common energy market. (E.H. trans fl)