Electricity pricing too vague: regulators

The Consumer and Market Authority (ACM) states that it is too difficult for consumers to compare and make sense of competing energy prices because of the vague and inconsistent manner in which tariffs are promoted, Z24 reports. Many consumers have difficulty comparing tariffs because suppliers use different terms on their bills and receipts, the Authority argues. The ACM, in a statement reacting to questions from Het Financieele Dagblad, says that not everybody penetrates the tariffs to see what they really mean and where they come from. This means that many people usually stay with the same energy supplier. According to Z24, the controller is currently discussing with energy suppliers and hopes to arrive at a new set of rules in the near future that should make energy bills and receipts simpler and more easy to understand for consumers. AMC earlier reported that around 13 percent of energy consumers transfered to a different supplier in 2013, more than in previous years. Since the market stabilized in 2004, 44 percent of consumers have transfered suppliers at least once. According to research, however, AMC says that more people would transfer if electricity prices are more clearly stated.