Gas bill, the new tariffs for those in the protected market

The outbreak of tensions in the Middle East is certainly not helping.
The war, together with the arrival of the winter season and the growth in demand, is causing the price of gas to rise in the main reference markets.
The data was already growing in September and the trend was unfortunately confirmed also for the month of October which has just ended.
The increase in the cost of gas was announced by Arera, the public energy authority that sets electricity and gas tariffs in the protected market.
The 10 million users who are still in this market had to pay a higher gas bill in October.
Here's how much.
Gas bill: 12% increase in October As reported by Arera, in October the gas bill in the protected market increased by 12%.
This is the third increase in a row due in part to the increase in the cost of raw materials by 7.9% and then by the increase in the cost of transport and meter management of 4.1%.
General charges remain unchanged, i.e.
the fixed costs included in the bill to finance activities of general interest for the Italian electricity system.
Therefore higher bills for around 10 million active users in Italy still in the protected market.
This is a market where the tariff is established by Arera on the basis of the price of the raw material in the international reference market.
Considering the tensions in the Middle East and considering the arrival of the winter season with the increase in demand, it is easy to imagine that there could be new increases in prices also for November and December.
This is why it is now better to move to the free market.
This procedure will, among other things, become mandatory starting from 2024.
There is little time left for the transition to the free market.
Unless extended, from 1 January 2024 for gas users and from April for electricity users, there will be an obligation to transition to free market.
This means that all users still active in the protected market will have to switch to a manager who operates in the free market.
An obligatory choice but, if we want to be honest, also convenient.
This is because in the free market the tariff is decided by the individual manager and does not necessarily depend on the price of the raw material on the reference markets.
At the moment, those operating in the free market are offering various offers: variable, fixed and joint tariffs.
The variable tariff is the one that varies the most based on the prices of the material and consumption.
The fixed one is convenient because you decide on a fixed monthly rate for a year regardless of increases and consumption.
The user knows in advance how much he will have to pay each month.
Finally, there are joint offers that allow you to have gas and electricity with the same operator.
This, in addition to streamlining bureaucracy, also offers numerous advantages.
In fact, the companies are offering discounts for those who activate a joint offer resulting in savings on their bills.
read also Free market, what are the differences between variable, fixed and joint price offers? The passage on the free market is mandatory but there are exceptions.
The following can remain in the protected market even after 2024: people over 75 years of age; holders of social bonus for economic hardship; subject with disabilities (pursuant to article 3 of law 5 February 1992, n.
104); owner of a supply that powers life-saving medical-therapeutic equipment; owner of a supply located in emergency housing facilities following calamitous events; owner of a supply located in the smaller non-interconnected islands.
read also Who can remain in the protected market also in 2024?