There are numerous initiatives that the Iren Group activated to highlight the proximity to all its customers (about 2 million between the free market and the protected market) against the rising cost of electricity and gas. Thanks also to the fruitful dialogue started in recent months with consumer associations, concrete actions to support customers have immediately started, such as the possibility of resorting, even before the government intervention, to payment in installments on condition of greater favor for bills that make payments by families difficult.
The payment in installments of bills is an opportunity that Iren has always offered to its customers (over 20,000 were activated in the year 2021 alone) and which at the beginning of the year the company has re-proposed with more favorable conditions. Iren has further adapted to the government measures from 1 January 2022, strengthening the contact channels (toll-free number, branches, website, social channels) in assisting customers and complying with the new provisions, making them even easier to understand.
Furthermore, in December a particularly advantageous offer (Fixed & Low) was launched with fixed price dedicated to customers still under the higher protection regime for electricity (those who have been most affected by the increase in raw materials), which can be activated directly on the online channels. The numerous customers who have already subscribed to the offer in December will have an electricity price equal to that before the first significant increases in October and will be even more sheltered from the further increases expected in the protection market for the first quarter. 2022.
Despite the difficult situation in the energy sector on a global level, Iren customers who have joined the free electricity market over time (around 800 thousand) thanks to the offers proposed by the company, including those that provide for a fixed cost, have not so far suffered significant increases in the bill, but benefited from an estimated average annual saving (first half 2021 / first half 2022) of approximately 170 euros per user.
Even more significant is the savings on the gas component: Iren customers adhering to the free market (around 650 thousand) in the same period recorded an estimated annual per capita savings of around 220 euros. Overall, the savings made on Iren’s household customers in the free gas and electricity market amounted to approximately 270 million euros.
To mitigate the effects of price increases due to the sharp increases in raw material costs and higher consumption in the winter season, the company has taken steps to strengthen the direct contact channels with customers through local branches, which grew by a further six units in 2021 alone to the benefit of a more widespread coverage of the territories, and to further strengthen the acquisition channels for gas self-reading to facilitate the timely recording of actual consumption. In the digital field, new functions have been developed which will be completed in the first months of 2022 and which will allow bills to be paid in installments even with mobile tools for immediate use. The customers registered on the IrenYou web / app platform are today over 900 thousand and weekly perform about 300 thousand digital interactions. Iren customers were informed of the actions initiated by the company in various ways: from accurate information in the bill, to information spaces on paper and online media, from city billboards up to sending communications via e-mail and app notifications. , also passing through a proactive and punctual direct telephone contact in the case of bills exceeding 600 euros.
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