The energy ombudsman fears a sharp rise in energy bills is in the pipeline for people who will see their entitlement to the social energy tariff expire from 1 July. Some 500,000 people were temporarily given access to lower energy prices during the pandemic. The ombudsman advises them carefully to compare what is on offer on the market.
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Ombudsman warns of 'bill shock' as thousands lose social energy tariff
Colin Clapson
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Since February 2021, around a half a million people were temporarily granted access to the lower social energy tariff for electricity. 300,000 of them were also entitled to that lower rate for natural gas. That was one of the support measures the federal government put in place during the pandemic for people who qualified for extra support. The measure was extended during the energy crisis.
In February, the government decided to phase out that support. "From 1 July, these people will be switched back to the cheapest commercial product available from their supplier," explains energy ombudsman Eric Houtman. That guarantee is only valid for three months.
Houtman is worried: "People are going to get bill shock. The cheapest commercial product is more expensive than their current social tariff rates. Especially for natural gas, there’s a big difference amounting to several hundred euros a year."
He urges affected households to be careful and make comparisons between the different tariffs on the market. "The cheapest commercial tariff from your supplier may not be the cheapest tariff on the market. It might be a good idea to check to see if they can’t get a lower tariff using the V-test operated by the Flemish energy regulator VREG."