Free electricity and gas market in Italy
The free market allows you to freely choose your electricity and gas supplier, from a wide range of options available on the market. This allows you to find the solution best suited to your needs and obtain personalized rates.
In particular, the free market offers you flexibility because you can:
- find the most convenient solution for you and which best suits your consumption habits;
- choose between fixed or variable price offers: with fixed price offers you have the price of the energy component blocked for a defined period. Variable price offers, on the other hand, follow the market trend;
- add innovative services and solutions for your home and business.
What is the protection and enhanced protection service
The gas protection service and the enhanced protection service are regulated by the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment (ARERA) and guarantee customers a price defined and updated by the Authority for natural gas and gas respectively. 'electric energy. This type of service is intended for customers who have not yet chosen to switch to the free market.
When will the mandatory transition to the free market take place?
For non-vulnerable domestic customers the end of the gas protection and greater electricity protection service occurred on:
- 31 December 2023, for gas (ARERA resolution 100/2023);
- 30 June 2024 for electricity (ARERA resolution 600/2023).
As regards micro-enterprises, the enhanced protection service for electricity ended in April 2023, while for small enterprises it had already ended in 2021.
Is it worth switching to the free electricity and gas market?
The transition to the free market offers several advantages. First of all, the possibility of choosing the supplier and finding rates suitable for every consumption need. Furthermore, suppliers on the free market can also offer additional services that allow consumers to optimize their consumption and save on their bills.
For example, with Enel Energia you have the advantage of having a single supplier to talk to and manage the products and services you want to activate:
- offers for power and gas at fixed or variable prices;
- ultra-fast internet with Enel Fibra
at a discounted price if you are already a customer or want to become one. Enel Fibra was elected Product of the Year 2024 for innovation (Circanana research on 12,000 consumers, on selection of services dottodellanno.it cat. FIBER TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES.); - energy efficiency products and services from Enel Energia with formidable prices on air conditioners, boilers, photovoltaics and electric mobility. Exclusive services such as «10-year All risk insurance» on the solar range and innovative products such as balcony photovoltaics;
- Bolletta Web service to receive the bill at the email address you prefer. It's smart, sustainable and free;
- flexible and digital payment methods such as direct debit from current account, credit card, PagoPA notice;
- Enel Energia App to independently manage your supplies, activate new offers, monitor your consumption and much more;
- e-monitor, the free monitoring tool for check the consumption of each household appliance and optimize the use of electricity.
Environmental impact of the free energy market
By entering the free market you have the opportunity to choose suppliers who offer energy from renewable sources. With the growing interest in environmental sustainability, you will be able to support the transition to clean energy sources such as solar or wind energy.
If you sign up for one of the web electricity offers with Enel Energia you will only use energy certified by the new "Guarantees of Origin" system of the Energy Services Manager (EC directive 2009/28/EC).
What happens if you don't choose a supplier on the free market
The supply passes free of charge, automatically and without any interruption, to the Gradual Protection Service (TSG) whose supplier has been selected via auction.
The contractual and economic conditions are defined by ARERA also on the basis of the outcomes of insolvency proceedings.
For further information consult the dedicated article.
Instead, vulnerable domestic customers provided in the enhanced protection service will continue to be served, even after 1 July 2024, in the Enhanced Protection Service.
Vulnerable domestic electricity and gas customers are considered to be those who fall into one of the following conditions:
- are over the age of 75;
- benefit from a social bonus for economic hardship (for further details consult our section dedicated to the social bonus) pursuant to article 1, paragraph 75, of law 124/17;
- are in serious health conditions that require the use of medical-therapeutic equipment powered by electricity (or where there are people in such conditions);
- are subjects with disabilities pursuant to article 3 of law 104/92;
- are holders of a supply located in an emergency housing facility;
- have a user on a smaller, non-interconnected island (only for domestic customers with an electricity supply).
When can we move to the free market
The transition to the free market can occur at any time. Simply choose the rate that best suits your needs and activate it, even online, by signing the contract. Provide the personal data of the holder of the supply; the supply address and your contact details. The transition is totally free and does not require any additional costs, with the exception of any charges connected to signing the contract itself.
Moving to the free market is an opportunity to be seized for those who wish to benefit from offers suitable for every consumption need and personalized management of their needs.
