The new role(s) of consumers

The Workshop “The new role(s) of consumers” will explore how the latest policy and regulatory developments promoting “consumers’ empowerment”, as defined by the “New Deal” and the Clean Energy Package, will assign new roles to consumers and provide new opportunities to consumers. The Workshop will also assess any risk of exclusions for vulnerable consumers and the impact of empowered consumers on the market and the implications for market and system operations.

The “Clean Energy for All Europeans” Package places consumers at the centre of the energy transition, providing them with a higher degree of protection, empowerment and enhanced market choices. Thanks to price comparison tools, dynamic price contracts, smart metres and the formation of citizens’ energy communities, customers will be able effectively to play a more active role in the market. Furthermore, switching supplier will not imply any fees and, by 2026, such transition will have to take place within 24 hours.

However, consumers have shown a degree of inertia. Until now, consumers’ empowerment was mostly provided by their ability to switch supplier, but annual switching rates have remained low in most countries (the European average is 6-8% for both electricity and gas). While switching rates are not necessarily the ultimate indicator of the benefits of liberalisation for consumers, a more detailed analysis performed by the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators shows that switching rates are low even in some Member States where the potential gains from switching are substantial.

The Workshop will be structured in two sessions:

• Session 1 will investigate how consumers can effectively be empowered and engaged, ensuring that “no one is left behind” and delivering a just and inclusive transition. Practical applications of the new role of consumers will also be presented.
• Session 2 will look at the regulatory and market design implications of consumers’ active role, focusing on the key requirements needed to deliver and enable effective wholesale and retail markets for the benefits of consumers.

This workshop is exclusively open to national regulators, representatives from public bodies and associate & major donors of the FSR Energy area.