The CLCV consumer association is asking to postpone for two years the end of the regulated gas sales tariff for individuals, scheduled for June 30, by asserting its protective nature in a market that has become toxic, in a letter to the President of the Republic. made public on Tuesday.
Even though they increased by 15% on January 1 after a 14-month freeze, regulated gas tariffs are currently the most protective tariff formula for consumers. Counting direct customers and those holding an index contract on TRVs with an alternative supplier, more than 7 million households out of 10 million gas subscribers will be affected by their end on June 30, 2023. With this judgment, the Financial uncertainty is inevitable and the likely sharp rise in bills after an average of 20 euros per month recorded at the start of the year.
To avoid this situation, which is deemed toxic, the consumer association CLCV asks in a letter to the President of the Republic made public on Tuesday to postpone the end of the regulated gas sale tariff by two years for individuals to pass the storm. The crisis has highlighted a new quality of regulated sales tariffs, in electricity and gas, which is quite simply that of contractual security, argues the association.
With the regulated tariff, you know that it will not increase by 40, 50 or even 60%, explains the general delegate of the CLCV Franois Carlier. A message repeated for many months now. He explained MoneyVox in April 2022 that for a long time, the public authorities explained that fixed price offers would act as TRV, but we see that during the crisis, these have all disappeared. Indeed, these have proven to be too risky for alternative suppliers. The crisis has also illustrated the fact that a price can be radically changed at any time, without notice to the customer.
The government maintains its schedule
For gas as for electricity, there are several types of tariffs: regulated sales tariffs are marketed by historical suppliers, EDF for electricity and Engie for gas. At the same time, there are contracts indexed to this tariff, and open price market offers, variable or not.
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According to the CLCV association, condominiums or HLMs which, unlike households, have no regulated tariff, are already penalized: they do have a tariff shield in the form of assistance which must be requested from a posteriori but this does not absorb the increase in tariffs. The government also plans to provide them with a fixed price this winter.
This disappearance of the gas TRV follows the energy-climate law of November 8, 2019 which confirmed a decision of the Council of State of 2017. The latter had then considered that the regulated gas tariffs were contrary to European law insofar as where they are a hindrance to the realization of a competitive market.
The end of TRVs was decided by law, so a law would be needed to reverse it, but it is technically possible, explained Jean-Sbastien Degouve of the broker Opra nergie last June. The ball is in the court of the government which, for the moment, is maintaining its schedule.
What price for gas in January?
The deadline is so close that the estimates are increasingly concrete for the 2.8 million customers of Engie’s regulated tariffs, to which we add the more than 4 million customers who have signed a market offer contract, indexed to the tariffs regulations. Without the price freeze, the average level of regulated gas prices would have been 122.1% higher including tax than the current level. What are they going to give with a 15% increase?
The Energy Regulation Commission (CRE) has published the upcoming gas increases for the month of January:
- + 5.85% for a Basic customer, cooking use and consumption of less than 1,000 kWh per year. Its annual bill will increase from 171,181 euros;
- + 10.51% for a B0 customer, cooking and water heating. His annual bill will increase by 39 euros;
- + 15.3% for a B1 customer, cooking, hot water and heating use. His annual bill will increase by 222 euros per year to reach 1675 euros, or 139 euros per month;
- +16.92% for a small condominium (B2). The annual bill for residents will increase by 475 euros.