Bills, cheaper tariffs for the vulnerable: how the new service will be accessed

News is coming for the electricity bills of vulnerable customers, i.e. those over 75, holders of the social bonus (the discount in the bill for families in conditions of economic and physical hardship), users on minor islands that are not interconnected or who live in emergency housing facilities, and, lastly, beneficiaries of Law 104 on disabilities. For these users too, in fact, the possibility of accessing the gradual protection service opens up, the mechanism set up by Arera (the Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment) to facilitate the complete liberalisation of the electricity sector after the end of June, when price protection ceased. This is provided for by an amendment to the Ddl Concorrenza (Competition Act), first signed by Gusmeroli (League), approved by the Environment and Productive Activities Commissions of the Chamber of Deputies. Here is what it provides and how the new service will be accessed.

The amendment introduced to the Competition Decree states that, by 30 June 2025, vulnerable customers may request access to the graduated protection service provided by the operator awarded the contract for the area in which the delivery point concerned is located. As is well known, the awardees of the new service were selected through an auction managed by Acquirente Unico, which led to the identification of 7 operators (Enel Energia, Illumia, E.ON Energia, Hera Comm, A2A Energia, Edison Energia and Iren Mercato) among which the 26 territorial areas into which Italy has been divided were divided.

To find out which operator is the reference operator, it is possible to consult the Arera website (www.arera.it) where there is a list of the 26 areas and the operators selected in each of them. It will be up to the Authority, within 30 days from the date of entry into force of the law, to establish the modalities for implementing the new rules and also to specify how it will be possible to certify the existence of the vulnerability requirements, highlighting the criteria on its site.

But what is today's set-up for the vulnerable and what advantages does the graduated protection service offer? It is worth remembering that, at the moment, the vulnerable customer can at any time choose a free market offer with any seller or, alternatively, can request to be supplied under the economic and contractual conditions defined by the Authority (Service of greater protection) by the competent company.

As for the benefits of the graduated protection service, according to the figures released in recent months, the new mechanism can guarantee savings of around EUR 113 per year compared to the costs incurred in the greater protection service. With the end of price protection, 3.7 million customers have switched to the new service, while 3.8 million vulnerable customers continue to be served under protection.