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The prices consumers pay for their energy increased and continue to be very different across the EU. Compared to 2009, average electricity household prices in 2019 increased significantly, faster than inflation. The existence of regulated prices in some Member States can limit the entry of new suppliers and reduce consumer choice. Such choice will be important to enable consumers to unlock cost savings in their energy bills where possible, particularly when some of the non-contestable aspects (network, taxes, levies) may increase in the future to deliver decarbonisation.
For consumers to be able to shop around for better prices and services, smart meters and reliable comparison tools are essential. However, the presence of these continues to vary across MS, albeit with improvement in recent years. Market concentration levels continue to improve, but too slowly, with electricity markets performing better than gas markets. It is worth reflecting on the impact that COVID-19 is currently having on the energy sector, prompting a variety of responses from national regulatory authorities, mainly geared towards protecting energy supply for consumers.
These are some of the findings in the latest edition of the Energy Retail and Consumer Protection Volume of the annual report on the results of monitoring the internal electricity and gas markets in 2019 (MMR), published today by the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER). The report includes two other already-published volumes analysing the electricity and gas wholesale markets. ACER and CEER develop the MMR with the support of the Energy Community Secretariat.
