Consumers will get much-needed new protections from their gas suppliers after European lawmakers struck a deal today on the EU’s ‘Gas Market Package’.

The deal will mean that consumers will get similar basic rights and protections from their gas supplier as they do from their electricity supplier.

This includes:

• Better information on energy offers so consumers can easily decide which deal is better for them;

• Rules on bills so consumers have a clearer picture on what they are paying for and how much;

• The right to switch gas supplier and access to independent comparison tools;

• EU countries will have to take measures to prevent disconnections of vulnerable consumers and those in energy poverty as well as those in dispute with their supplier e.g., for unpaid bills;

• Access to alternative dispute resolution in case of issues with a supplier.

BEUC Director General Monique Goyens said: “The energy crisis sent consumers’ energy bills to unprecedented new highs. Since then, the cost-of-living crisis has put household budgets under even more pressure. Although energy prices have since stabilised somewhat, they are still high. These new protections for consumers using gas for heating and cooking are more than welcome. It will give consumers a clearer idea about what they’re paying for and make it easier to switch suppliers if they’re not happy. It will also prevent the most vulnerable from being disconnected from vital heating supply.

“Nearly a third of energy used today by European households still comes from gas. We need to accelerate home renovations and the shift to heat pumps to allow consumers to make long-term energy bill savings and allow households to contribute to the green transition. But millions still rely on gas. Until now, however, they have not had the same protections from their gas as from their electricity supplier. It was high time to fix this.”

Related documents:

•    Five ways to make home renovation easier for consumers
•    How to accelerate home renovations through innovative financing (report)
•    Goodbye gas: why your next boiler should be a heat pump (report)
•    BEUC recommendations on tackling the cost-of-living crisis (see Energy recommendations p.3)