Change in the regulated natural gas market generates complaints for Deco

More than drawbacks, it is “difficulties” in the process of becoming a natural gas supplier in a regulated market that lead consumers to turn to Consumer Protection Association Deco, Ana Sofia Ferreira, of the Consumer Support Office, Lusa explained.

“We have received several requests for information and requests for support within the scope of this transition to a regulated natural gas market,” he said, explaining that among the main doubts were the lack of knowledge of the change process and the lack of information.

“Many” consumers who head to the support desk do not know the history of the switch supplier, where they will receive the bill or end a contract and start another, and others are surprised by the increase in their electric bill because they have lost discounts for not being at the same gas and electricity provider.

“What we are seeing is that consumers are not being properly alerted to the consequences of a potential change” in the regulated gas market, said Ana Sofia Ferreira, explaining that changing the gas supplier, while keeping the same electricity supplier, could lead to penalties for losing discounts granted to contracts with both services. At the same time.

“Electricity tariffs become more expensive, and in fact, what you gain by moving to the regulated market in natural gas, you end up losing,” he said, recalling that the legislator’s intention, by allowing change in the regulated market, does not mean that the consumer is harmed .

“Intention [do legislador] It is to respond to the energy crisis and inflation we are experiencing, and to help the consumer, he noted, adding that Deco also appealed to the Ministry of the Environment to clarify, through legislation, that a change in the regulated market cannot include the penalty for early termination of the contract, which includes a contracted loyalty period.

Not all consumers are alert, according to Deco, to the possibility of switching to a regulated market in electricity either.

However, those who change are obliged to deal with two systems, one for the change in the regulated gas market and the other for the electricity market, which are two different processes, with different entities and different requirements, which the association considers to conduct the process difficult for the consumer.

Last weekend, the association sent a letter to the Ministry of the Environment reporting its “concerns” about the process of switching to regulated market suppliers, as explained by Ana Sofia Ferreira.

In the document, the association called for a way to make the two systems equal, i.e. in terms of requirements, and instead of each company creating its own platform to transition to the regulated market, a single platform was created in which the consumer could switch to the regulated gas and electricity market at the same time.

The cost of moving to a regulated natural gas market will be 60 million euros in 2023, due to the loss of potential value-added tax revenue, according to the proposed state budget.

Assuming that all consumers eligible to return to the regulated market actually return to the regulated tariff, the government estimated the maximum aggregate savings with return to the regulated market at €56.7 million per month, according to the document.

Assuming the same price conditions will apply in free and regulated markets for 12 months, the government estimates that this measure could generate “total consumer savings above €680.4 million in 2023”.

1.5 million consumers of low pressure natural gas are covered, with a consumption of less than 10,000 cubic meters (m3) per year.