Cum sa-ti alegi furnizorul de energie electrica, de la 1 ianuarie 2014 ? (II)How to Choose Your Electricity Supplier After January 1, 2014 (II)

„Consumatorii de energie eligibili, care se alimenteaza din piata concurentiala au devenit extrem de atenti la incheierea contractelor cu furnizorii, dupa scaderea pretului in piata si a consumului”, declara zilele trecute domnul Ion Lungu, presedintele Asociatiei Furnizorilor de Energie Electrica din Romania (AFEER). Nu acelasi lucru se poate spune insa despre consumatorii persoane juridice, care vor intra in piata concurentiala de la 1 ianuarie 2014, dupa aplicarea ultimei etape a dereglementarii pentru aceasta categorie de consumatori.

Energy-Center prezinta etapele pe care trebuie sa la parcurga un consumator persoana fizica, in alegerea furnizorului, astfel incat sa obtina cel mai bun pret si cele mai bune servicii din partea acestuia. Astfel, consumatorul de energie trebuie sa selecteze dintr-o lista a furnizorilor licentiati de catre ANRE , sa verifice valabilitatea licentei de furnizare si apoi sa contacteze compania aleasa in vederea inceperii negocierilor.

Oferta pe care consumatorul o primeste de la compania de furnizare trebuie sa includa pretul de baza al energiei electrice, tarifele reglementate aferente activitatii de transport a Transelectrica si tarifele reglementate ale activitatii de distributie a distribuitorului regional, pe categoriile de conexiune la care este conectat. Urmeaza procesul de selectie, dupa evaluarea ofertelor potentialilor furnizori, respectiv negocierea clauzelor contractuale in ceea ce priveste drepturile, obligatiile, formele de plata. Atentie insa, dupa semnalele primite la redactie, atragem atentia ca exista cazuri in care furnizorul include in contracte clauze de reziliere cu penalitati mari de plata in cazul in care consumatorul schimba furnizorul inainte de termenul final al contractului, aspect sesizat de altfel si de catre Consiliul Concurentei. Se poate ajunge la incalcarea drepturilor consumatorilor prevazute in Legea 123, fara ca acesta sa sesizeze acest lucru.

Furnizorul trebuie sa ofere consumatorului acele facilitati prin care sa ramana in prevederile contractului de buna voie si nu obligat prin aceasta practica comerciala incorecta.

Dupa semnarea contractului cu noul furnizor de energie electrica, respectiv dupa respectarea procedurii stabilita de ANRE prin Ordinul 88, consumatorul notifica fostul furnizor de energie asupra decizie sale de schimbare. Aceasta notificare are un format standard si se adreseaza distribuitorului regional spre stiinta , fostului furnizor si, in copie, noului furnizor.

Fostul furnizor de energie are dreptul sa respinga aceasta solicitare de schimbare a furnizorului in conditiile in care consumatorul are datorii financiare fata de el (facturi restante, penalizari etc). In cazul in care acestea sunt achitate sau renegociate, fostul furnizor este obligat sa raspunsa afirmativ solicitarii consumatorului, de a alege un nou furnizor.

Notificarea trebuie transmisa distribuitorului regional , conform procedurii, cu 21 de zile calendaristice inainte de data de schimbare a furnizorului si de incepere a livrarii de energie electrica de catre noul partener, operatiunea facandu-se numai cu data de 1 a lunii urmatoare.

Alt element important al schimbarii furnizorului tine de existenta ATR (Avizul Tehnic de Racordare) , care trebuie sa fie valid si reactualizat conform puterii solicitate de catre consumator. Amintim ca au fost cazuri in care s-a facut furnizarea de energie fara existenta ATR valabil , lucur sanctionat dur de catre reglementator.

Precizam ca toata procedura de schimbare a furnizorului nu se face cu intreruperea livrarii de energie electrica, iar aparitia unor ulterioare disfunctionalitati in alimentare vor fi sesizate telefonic sau prin fax noului furnizor, care este obligat sa semnaleze distribuitorul regional , iar acesta sa ia masurile tehnice pentru remedierea problemelor aparute.„The eligible energy consumers supplied from the competitive market became extremely attentive to the signing of contracts with the suppliers, after the market price and the consumption decreased”, said Mr. Ion Lungu, chairman of the Association of Electricity Suppliers of Romania (AFEER) a couple of days ago. Things are different for the corporate customers, who will enter the competitive market on January 1, 2014, after the implementation of the last stage of the deregulation for these consumers.

Energy-Center presents the steps to follow for a household consumers to choose its supplier so as to get the optimal price and the best services. Thus, the energy consumer must select from a list of suppliers authorized by the ANRE (the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority), check the validity of the supply license, then contact the company they chose to begin the negotiations.

The offer sent to the consumer from the supplier company must include the followingthe base price of electric energy, the regulated tariffs for the transfer services of Transelectrica, and the regulated tariffs of the distribution services of the regional distributor, for the type of the consumer’s connection. Next comes the selection process, after evaluating the offers from the potential suppliers, i.e. the negotiation of the contract clauses concerning the rights, the obligations, and the payment methods. Be careful, though: we have signals about cases where the suppliers include termination clauses with big penalties, should the consumer change his supplier before the end date of the contract; this has also been noted by the Competition Council. The consumers’ rights provided by the Law #123 can be violated while they suspect nothing.

The supplier must offer the consumers facilities to keep them under contract by their free will, not forced through such incorrect commercial practices.

After the contract with the new electricity supplier is signed, i.e. after the completion of the procedure set by ANRE’s Order #88, the consumer notifies his former electricity supplier about the decision of replacement. This notification has a standard format and is sent to the regional distributor for information purposes and to the former supplier, with a copy to the new supplier.

The former electricity supplier is entitled to reject this request of supplier change if the consumer has unpaid debts (unpaid bills, penalties, etc.). If these are paid or renegotiated, the former supplier must approve the consumer’s request of choosing a new supplier.

The notification must be sent to the regional distributor in accordance with the procedure, 21 calendar days before the replacement of the supplier and the beginning of the electricity supply from the new partner; the operation begins on the 1st day of the next month.

Another important element of the supplier replacement concerns the existence of the Connection Technical Approval (CTA), which must be valid and updated for the power consumption requested by the consumer. We can mention cases where the energy was supplied without a valid CTA, a situation harshly penalized by the regulator.

Note that the whole supplier replacement procedure does not involve interruptions of the electricity supply, and possible subsequent malfunctions of the supply must be notified to the new supplier by phone or fax; the latter must inform the regional distributor, who must take the necessary technical steps to fix the problems.