Free or protected market for those aged 75 and over?

There no longer seems to be any doubts, in 2024 electricity and gas bills will have to switch to the free market.
The dates have already been set: by January 10th for gas users, by April for electricity users.
This means that anyone who is still in the protected market by that date will have to make the switch to a manager who operates in the free market.
Mandatory operation for everyone? Not exactly.
Let's start by saying that anyone who does not make the transition by the indicated date will not be left without the supply of electricity and gas.
It will enter a transition phase where the supply will be provided with a tariff defined as PLACET, a middle ground between that applied in the protected and free market.
In this phase the user will be accompanied to the step that will have to happen sooner or later.
But the transition will not be mandatory for everyone.
There are some categories defined as vulnerable which, due to a risk profile, require greater protection.
This category includes: those who are in economically disadvantaged conditions (for example bonus recipients); persons with disabilities pursuant to article 3 of law 104/92; those who have a user in an emergency housing facility following calamitous events; those over the age of 75; those who have serious health conditions that require the use of medical-therapeutic equipment powered by electricity (only for electricity users); those who have a user on a non-interconnected smaller island (only for electricity users).
Today we want to focus specifically on people over 75 years of age.
Here's how they should behave.
Those over 75 will be able to remain in the protected market.
Owners of an electricity and gas user over 75 will be able to freely decide to move to the free market or remain in the protected market.
Since they belong to the vulnerable category, the government has decided on additional protection for them.
Usually the customer who meets these requirements should already have been identified as vulnerable and for this reason after January he will continue to be served under the protection regime, i.e.
under the same economic conditions that are currently provided with an update of the monthly tariff by Arera.
Obviously the user is free to choose to switch to the free market at any time.
Those who are in the free market but want to return to the protected market even after the 2024 deadline will have to expressly request their seller to continue to be served in the vulnerability protection service by filling out the appropriate form.
This is a self-certification with which you declare that you satisfy the requirements that give you the right to remain in the protected market.
The form, completed and signed by the bill holder, must be sent to the supplier who, once checked, will proceed with approval.
Customers defined as vulnerable will be able to make the transition from a protected market to a free one or vice versa at any time.
read also No to the free market, how to ask to remain in the protected energy regime What should be done now In light of the current tariffs, is it better for vulnerable customers to remain in the protected market or move to the free one? Not an easy question to answer.
The protected electricity and gas tariffs, which are affected by the cost of raw materials in the main reference markets, are currently not high.
But as we head towards winter with demand that will increase, as the global geopolitical context is still quite uncertain given the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, it is likely that the cost of electricity and gas may increase in price in the coming months.
For this reason perhaps switching to the free market at this stage could be more convenient.
The tariff is decided by the individual manager following the market and there are various choices available to customers: from the fixed monthly tariff, to the variable one up to the combined one which currently offers the greatest savings.
read also Gas bill, the new tariffs for those in the protected market