Will make it easier to be an electricity customer

At the end of October was 29 electricity companies reported to the Consumer Agency by the Consumer Council due to suspicion of price fraud.

The Consumer Council believed that the electricity companies deceived consumers via so-called “purchase price agreements”, which are sold as ordinary spot agreements – ie the agreements we are most often recommended to choose. But in the purchase price agreements, in addition to the usual price supplements, there was also “a secret supplement”.

Many consumers think electricity is complicated, and the vast majority will probably sign up for a subscription with a company at a good price without hidden costs and then devote as few thoughts, or worries, as possible to the sum on the electricity bill.

Three proposals for action from Talkmore

Talkmore has recently established a new electricity company, Talkmore Strøm, and they want to take the lead in a new industry standard, which they believe all electricity companies should follow to make it easier for customers to orient themselves. and ensure competition on equal terms.

Here is the industry standard Talkmore suggests:

• The price of electricity must always follow the price of the power exchange 100 percent – hour by hour.
• All price elements must be clearly communicated in the marketing – prices must not be hidden behind concepts such as “purchase price”, or the like.
• The surcharge per kWh must not be variable – that is, it must be stated in advance exactly what the surcharge will be.

The price of electricity tripled in a few hours

Certification scheme on the way

Business policy adviser Ulf Møller in Energi Norge welcomes Talkmore to the electricity industry – they believe competition is very positive.

– The industry standard Talkmore describes is in line with the certification scheme “Safe electricity trading” which Energi Norge hopes to have in place by the turn of the year, says Møller to Dinside.

“Safe electricity trading” means that:

• The suppliers must be approved by DNV-GL
• All laws and regulations must be followed
• Promotional offers must be clearly marked
• Requirements for external service providers who have direct contact with the electricity customer (call centers etc.)
• The power products must be easy to distinguish from each other
• Customers must be able to choose the channel for price alerts
• There should be no hidden price elements and the duration should be clear
• Reserved customers do not need to be contacted

If you save electricity, the grid rent can increase

“Pump price” for electricity

Director Inger Lise Blyverket in the Consumer Council believes that a safe and A good electricity market needs one unit price that makes it possible to compare offers, such as the price per liter of petrol or the effective interest rate on loans.

– It must also be obligatory to inform customers about how long the price of the electricity subscription lasts, and not least that customers are properly notified, preferably by SMS, if the agreement is changed to the more expensive one, says Blyverket to Dinside.

Energi Norge believes that it must be up to the supplier if a surcharge is offered per kilowatt hour or month. For many, the kilowatt-hour surcharge will be better, for example in cabins that are in use only part of the year, according to them.

– What is important to us is that all price elements come out clearly. There has also been a lot of talk about unit price, or “pump price” as the Consumer Council likes to call it, says Møller.

– This is entirely possible to achieve, as the customer’s consumption on Strømpris.no will provide an effective surcharge per kilowatt hour – regardless of whether it is a fixed monthly price or a surcharge per kilowatt hour, he continues.