New requirements for electricity and natural gas bills; PUC invites to express an opinion – Economics, finances

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has developed new rules on the information that will be included in natural gas and electricity bills for users. Additional billing information will give the user more options and rights.

“In working on these rules, we paid attention to the fact that users would have easy access to information on the sections of the costs included in the bill, the composition and amount of energy supplied, as well as the procedure for changing the existing trader. We continue to move towards making the invoice a ‘guide’ to finding information in one place. This will allow users to be aware of existing obligations, rights and opportunities, as well as to make smart decisions in the future on the promotion of energy efficiency, ”says Jānis Negribs, Head of the PUC Market Surveillance Department.

The rules are supplemented by a number of essential requirements. Some of them have already been chosen by traders to be included in the invoices, but some are new, such as the end date of the contract, the possibility to change the trader, a detailed reflection of the cost components included in the natural gas invoice, etc.

The Regulations also take into account the requirements provided by the Electricity Market Law. JSC “Augstsprieguma tīkls” is obliged to administer the certificates of origin of the produced electricity. Namely, the operator will in future be responsible for calculating the composition of electricity supplied in Latvia, separately separating “green energy”, the production of which uses renewable resources, and fossil energy. Information on the composition of electricity will be published on the website of JSC Augstsprieguma tīkls and traders will have to use it to inform users.

It is expected that users will be able to obtain a wide range of additional information from the trader, including on the origin of the electricity in question. It will also be possible, for example, to request information on consumption data for each billing period if the data is read remotely or submitted via the trader’s website.

It is planned that the regulations could come into force by December 10, 2020.

Such new requirements to be included in electricity bills are envisaged by the European Commission Directive 2019/944. It aims to facilitate end-user involvement, provide protection and strengthen end-user awareness. In the opinion of PUC, gradually equal requirements should be introduced in the natural gas sector as well, ensuring equal market access and transparency.

We invite you to get acquainted with the consultation document PUC website. Please provide suggestions and comments on the draft consultation documents by November 20 of this year by sending them to [email protected].

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is an institutionally and functionally independent, full-fledged, autonomous public law entity that regulates public utilities in the energy, electronic communications, postal, municipal waste management and water management sectors in accordance with the Law on Public Utilities Regulators and Regulated Sectors. regulatory enactments. PUC independently performs the functions assigned to it by law and, within the scope of its competence, independently makes decisions and issues administrative acts that are binding on specific public service providers and users.

Public Utilities Commission

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