A first step towards improved energy bills for consumers

01 October 2009
by eub2 -- last modified 01 October 2009

The European Commission's Citizens' Energy Forum has yesterday endorsed a report on good practice guidance as well as ten recommendations on energy billing.

BEUC, the European Consumers' Organisation, welcomes the adoption of the good practice guidance and recommendations as they echo our calls for clearer, more understandable and accurate bills. In 2008, BEUC identified billing as one of the most challenging and problematic issues in the energy sector, due chiefly to errors in energy bills and the difficulties in understanding bills.

Bearing in mind the involvement of relevant stakeholders from the energy industry in the working group of which these recommendations are the fruit, BEUC now calls on the energy industry to act responsibly and come up with concrete measures to ensure that consumers see improvements in their energy bills as soon as possible.

Monique Goyens, BEUC Director General, commented.

"These recommendations on energy billing undoubtedly constitute a first step towards more consumer-friendly bills. Billing is crucial in terms of empowering consumers in the liberalised energy market, not least because improved billing practices could help consumers switch suppliers if they wish to, help them save money or develop more environmentally-friendly energy consumption habits.

"As the first progress report on the implementation of these recommendations is not foreseen until 2011, we call on the European Commission to act as a referee and play a monitoring role in this process by establishing, for instance, a compliance calendar. We also call on the Commission to consider publishing a progress report earlier than foreseen, i.e. as early as 2010.

"The ball is now in the energy industry's court. It is a unique chance for them to show that the consumer is king and that understandable and comparable bills are nothing more than a basic consumer expectation. Should the energy industry fail to take proactive and prompt steps to comply with these recommendations, we will urge the Commission to turn its guidance into legislation."

The European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC) was created in 1962 by the consumer organisations of Belgium, Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. After working together for a number of years, these organisations decided to create a European association, based in Brussels, right at the heart of Community policy. BEUC was a pioneer, one of the first lobbying organisations to set up base in the European capital in a bid to influence the decision-making process.

BEUC - The European Consumers' Organisation