energy. Find out how to save on your final bill

The data is not encouraging. In the first six months of the year, electricity prices for domestic consumers rose “sharply”, compared to the same period in 2021, when a household consumption of 100 kWh cost an average of 22 euros. Now, with these increases and the same depreciation, the value rises to 25.3 euros, according to Eurostat.

Next year, the values ​​will rise again. The Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE) said consumers still in the regulated market – about 930,000 households – should face an average increase of 1.1% in their electricity bills, compared to their December bills.

After the calculations, with an average monthly bill of 96.01 euros (a couple with two children, contracted power 6.9 kVA and consumption of 5,000 kWh / year), the increase between the amount paid in December 2022 and January 2022 2023 will be 1.40 euros, says the regulator. In the case of a smaller family – a couple without children – with an average bill of 38.63 euros, the increase felt in the first bill for next year would be 40 cents.

But despite the fact that energy prices are increasing, there are still small cues that, in your daily life, you can adopt or change to significantly reduce your electric bill (see the column on the side).

One of the basic rules is to analyze the contracted energy, since it should be sufficient for the energy consumption of the house. But for this, keep in mind that current appliances, especially those of energy class A, are more efficient, and there are also more efficient light bulbs (such as LEDs) which, although more expensive, consume 6 less energy times and another eight times longer.

And also by turning off electrical appliances, instead of leaving them in standby mode, and mobile phone chargers, for example, which are sometimes forgotten in sockets, the level of savings increases.

You should also take into account the number of people in the house and analyze carefully which rate suits you. Hourly tariffs have different rates per kWh depending on whether they are used during peak or off-peak hours, the lowest value at night or on weekends (outside hours) and highest at other hours. It may seem tempting, but it is important to keep in mind that if you choose a two-hour tariff, then the cost of the same power for whole hours will be, as a rule, slightly higher than a simple tariff. This means that the more you use the light outside of business hours, the higher the price you will pay. However, gains obtained through a large portion of consumption during peak hours can yield significant savings.

Take care to be taken Although it is argued that it is necessary to compare the offer of different lighting suppliers operating on the free market and choose the lowest price, ERSE also warns of the double interest that must be paid on other fronts (see questions to the side).

The market regulator issues warnings about current bad business practices and offers consumers suggestions on how to avoid them. “Someone approached him saying he had a show of energy to give him and asking him to sign a document that only proves that he was in his house. What to do: Never sign a document without reading it. Always ask and keep a copy of what he signed,” says ERSE, if she You have doubts after reading, refuse to sign”, and also remember that in remote sales, if you sign and regret, you have 14 days to resolve the contract.

The alerts don’t stop there. “If someone approaches you saying they have to change the supplier so they don’t run out of gas or electricity, don’t believe this story. Consumers should change the supplier only if they want to and when they are properly informed of the new contract,” warns the regulator.

These are the many problems that may arise, with the regulator stating that these malpractice warnings “focus on specific aspects resulting from the systematic analysis of complaints received by ERSE and strive to be in simple and accessible language. Each alert identifies a bad practice to be followed and suggests how It is for the consumer to avoid, and it is disclosed when identified and considered relevant information to consumers.”

What do others do? Celtra points out that in the face of this energy crisis, the Portuguese government was forced to take measures, such as the creation of the Iberian mechanism, the reduction of the value-added tax on electricity and the amendment of the law to abolish restrictions on returning to the regulated. Gas market (until 2025).

But compare in your study what other countries have done. In Spain, the cost of electricity averaged 121 euros MWh in 2021, but after the war the price rose to an average of 544 euros MWh, prompting the government of Pedro Sanchez to take several measures in addition to the establishment of the Iberian mechanism, such as as Next: a reduction of up to 55% of the regulated fee on the invoice from May to December 2022; Reducing the special tax on electricity from 5.1% to 0.5% by the end of the year and suspending 7% of the tax on electricity generation;
On the other hand, Germany was one of the countries hardest hit by this energy crisis, with electricity prices rising to about 37.30 cents per kilowatt and gas prices to 17.84 cents per kilowatt-hour (an increase of more than 10 cents per kilowatt since then). last year) to reduce the energy tax on fuel, suspend the EEG tax (for renewable energy) since July 2022, and establish a flat energy tax of €300 from September for salaried people subject to income tax.

Also in Italy, electricity is mostly produced using natural gas, which is why the price on the wholesale market has gone up a lot this year, reaching an all-time high of €680/MWh in September. Considering that between 2014-2020 the price was around 40-60€/MWh and last year it was around 125€/MWh, hence the CEO opted to lower the ‘System Fee’ for the bill since January 2022 ( 22% of the bill) as well as increasing the social reward for economically vulnerable families.

In France, instability in the energy market mainly affected companies, since they were not given the opportunity to join the regulated market. Even the benefits for those who opted for this premise appear to be very limited, as an increase of about 15% in energy prices in the regulated market is expected at the beginning of next year. Faced with this scenario, the government decided to prepare an “energy saving plan” for companies and give low-income people a so-called “chèque énergie” worth up to €277 per year.

Tricks to save on the bill

Tips
• It is a rule of thumb to turn off all lights that are turned on unnecessarily
• Choose energy-saving lamps
• Unplug chargers from the socket and do not leave devices in standby mode
• Purchase of Class A household appliances
• Use solar chargers and prefer laptops that consume less
• Avoid accumulating ice in the freezer because this increases energy consumption
• Painting walls and ceilings in light colors to better reflect light and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Avoid highly opaque lampshades, as they require unnecessary use of more powerful lamps, and installation of motion sensors in hallways

insulation improvement
• Do not forget to install good insulation for walls, floors and ceilings, and use double glazing, which reduces the need for air conditioning.

Learn the steps to change the supplier

How did the supplier change?
You can refer to the list of suppliers available on the ERSE website. Then, just compare the offers received with those of your current supplier to see the advantages and, above all, analyze the prices charged.

What should I take into consideration?
Price comparison, billing frequency and payment terms are the main criteria. It should also analyze the terms of contracts, their minimum term and terms of termination.

What are the precautions to be taken when comparing offers?
Keep in mind that the amounts under analysis are comparable and, where possible, use historical depreciation to simulate the amounts that will be billed for each view. Do not forget to review the contractual terms of supply. For this, you can use Deco and ERSE, which have price simulators.

Is it necessary to replace the meter?
No, the meter is owned by the distributor, not the supplier. There will be no replacement of the meter unless there is a change in the consumer.

What are the reasons that prevent the change of supplier?
Identification of insufficient or invalid installation, overlapping orders, power (electricity) indicated as abnormal or higher than required, customer data that does not match that recorded, and the presence of fraud can prevent such change.

How long does change take?
In general, the process takes no more than 15 working days. But, in some cases, it can extend beyond this period when there is a need to intervene in the place of consumption.

How much does the change cost?
This process has no cost to the consumer.

What entity is responsible for managing change processes?
The responsible entity is the logistic operator that turns to the supplier, which will combine this function in the electricity and natural gas sectors.