All you need to know about the free electricity and gas market
With the free market, anyone can choose a different electricity or gas supplier than the company providing the enhanced protection service (which operates in the market and abides by the rules and economic conditions set by the Authority for Electricity, Gas and the Water System).
The free market has been in force since 1 July 2007, in accordance with the provisions of the Bersani Decree (Legislative Decree no. 79 of 1999).
All customers are free to choose electricity or gas supply deals offered by the sales companies operating in competition on the free market.
By choosing one of these offers, you automatically switch to the free market.
Yes, you can do so at any time and without charge: you simply withdraw from the contract, in accordance with the given terms and procedures.
The cooling-off period allows the possibility to withdraw from the supply contract before activation. You can do so in one of the following ways:
- by sending a registered letter with return receipt to the office of the vendor (indicated in the contract) within 14 calendar days from the date of acceptance of the deal;
- by contacting the toll-free number and following the phone tree instructions, within 14 calendar days from the date of acceptance of the deal.
No, the choice to switch to the free market is totally free. Customers who do not sign up for deals on the free market remain with a provider that offers the enhanced protection service under the economic conditions laid down by the Authority for Electricity, Gas and the Water System.
It is the electricity or gas supply service that protects customers who have chosen not to enter the free market. This service is based on the contractual and economic conditions laid down by the Authority for Electricity, Gas and the Water System.
The enhanced protection service applies to households and small consumers (businesses with low voltage connections, less than 50 employees and an annual turnover of below EUR 10 million), who are guaranteed an energy supply at the prices established by ARERA.
These customers are automatically supplied by the enhanced protection service if they do not switch to the free market, or if they remain without a vendor (due, for example, to the vendor going out of business).
Customers who want to switch to the free market can cancel their contract with the enhanced protection service at any time, subject to one month's notice.
It is always possible to return to the enhanced protection service, in accordance with the terms and conditions for cancelling the contract with your supplier.
The economic conditions of the enhanced protection system are updated by the Authority every three months.
During the switching process (transition from the previous trader to Enel Energia), customers can inquire about the progress of their activation request by calling the toll-free number 800900860 from Italy or +39 0664511012 from abroad, for a fee at the cost applied by your telephone operator. Our customer service is available from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm every day from Monday to Sunday (excluding bank holidays).
In some cases, such as door-to-door sales, or those with our partner stores, Enel Energia calls its customers (Quality Call) to verify their awareness of their contract and, if necessary, to collect useful data for activation purposes.
