A study by Facua concludes that the rates of the six major trading companies are 112% and 165% higher than the TUR
The natural gas offers of the six main free market traders double – at least – the tariffs of users who have taken out the regulated tariff (TUR). Facua’s data after analyzing the offers from early December shows that although the major natural gas companies have reduced the price of the kilowatt hour (kWh) compared to two months ago, their rates are still much higher than the TUR.
These tariffs therefore imply that between 112% and 165% more must be paid for the energy consumed than with the government-regulated tariff. The Consumers’ Association has made the comparison with reference users who consume 400 kWh or 800 kWh per month.
For the first time, according to his estimates with the TUR, he currently pays EUR 32.96 per month, while his bill would rise to EUR 77.04, 134% more, if he had taken out a free market rate with Repsol, the company with the most expensive offers from those analyzed by Facua. After her, the most expensive are TotalEnergies (75.33 euros) and Iberdrola (74.70 euros).
In case the user consumes 800 kWh per month, with the regulated tariff he pays a monthly bill of 62.95 euros, but on the free market this increases to 156 euros (148% more) with the Repsol offer, 153 euros with that of Iberdrola and 148 euros with the rate of TotalEnergies, the three highest of those analysed. The lowest offers on the free market are those of CHC Energía and Naturgy, still 112% more expensive than TUR.
That is why the Consumers’ Association recommends the TUR rates. To access it, the user must go to one of the four reference trading companies – Naturgy, Endesa, Iberdrola and TotalEnergies – which belong to the same business groups as the major free market companies.
But this step from the free to the regulated market is not so easy for the Spanish consumer. Industry sources recently told this newspaper that due to the bottlenecks, it will take “nearly a year” to transfer all customers to the regulated market with the current number of applications. Even if they multiply the customer service capacity by a hundred, they assure that they would not be able to arrive in time before winter and the coldest months arrive.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
