The Energy Ombudsman wanted this Friday to cap the prices of electricity and natural gas contracts indexed to the markets, which are currently not protected by the government’s “rate shield”. Consumers with an energy supply contract indexed to market prices have suffered sharp increases, points out the mediator, so they should enjoy the same protections as those with a regulated rate contract. This refers to two million gas subscribers, for example.
For this reason, he advocates for them “more information about the risks of a sharp rise in prices”, “the risks they incur when they sign contracts for the supply of electricity or gas with a price indexed in the markets”. The mediator, who has taken on a growing number of consumer complaints since last winter, also recommends “a cap beyond a certain increase”.
“The gas and electricity price shield put in place by the Government has made it possible to protect individual consumers and those who live in buildings with collective heating. Consumers with a supply contract indexed to market prices have suffered increases in bills that are difficult to bear”, underlines the mediator, Olivier Challan Belval, who made this proposal on Wednesday to the National Assembly before the inflation monitoring working group .
explosive bills
The government has blocked regulated gas prices since October 2021. Since February, it has limited the increase in regulated electricity prices to an average of 4% including taxes, instead of the planned 40%. Consumers who have signed energy supply contracts at a fixed fixed price for 1 year, 2 years or 3 years are also protected.
On the other hand, contracts indexed in the markets are not protected. For example, when the supplier modifies the price during the contract to index it to the markets, as allowed by the consumer code, sometimes the supplier has multiplied the prices by 2, even by 3 or 4.
In France, out of approximately ten million gas subscribers, some three million pay the variable price regulated rate (protected by the “shield”) and almost two million have subscribed to a variable price market offer (not covered). The other 5.5 million have subscribed to a multi-year fixed price market offer, so they are not immediately affected.
Source: BFM TV
