2024-26 Workplan shortlisting form for ERRA CP COM

Instruction manual:

The below form is the long list of the proposed workplan topics by members. In order to create a shortlist of topics, please follow as listed below:

Please indicate if the topic is relevant from your institution's perspective.
Please indicate the priority topics that you would like to be on the Committee agenda the soonest. (please choose no more than 5).
Please indicate if you would like the topic to be discussed in person.

Thank you for your input for creating the workplan shortlist!

Please indicate your organization and country(Required)

For organization, you can use an acronym.

Email for clarifications(Required)

Submitted workplan topics (long list - 26 topics):

Conditions of termination and restoration of the electricity supply to the consumer

Description (as provided by the submitter):

In which cases the supplier is obliged to stop the electricity/gas supply
In which cases the supplier has a right to stop the electricity/gas supply
In which cases the supplier has no right to stop the electricity/gas supply
Conditions of electricity restoration and payment of penalties in case of their violation

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Role of NRAs in energy billing

The deliverable, regardless of its format (could also be a report), should answer following questions:

how is NRA involved in energy billing? How does NRA supervise supplier’s obligations regarding billing? What competences does NRA have?
what obligatory elements and requirements does billing need to include?
how does NRA ensure billing has these requirements?
how are these requirements set? Are they set by NRA?
how frequent is the billing? is it free of charge?

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Consumer experience from Regulatory point of view

There is no doubt nowadays that the CX is becoming the key differentiator factor among government entities, so in WERA, we have moved to consumer-focused organization, however, by putting the consumer at the center of any decision.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Handling consumer requests

Good sides and practices. Recognized disadvantages.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

How would EU joint purchasing of gas affect gas consumers

Aggregation of EU gas demand and joint purchase of gas will allow the EU to use its collective purchasing power to negotiate better prices, how would this directly and directly affect the final consumers? (joint topic with GF COM)

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Legal actions and processes of NRAs

The report would investigate the legal actions and processes that can by taken by and belong to the jurisdiction of NRAs, like complaint handling, what types of decision (issue a fine, and/or and obligation) can be taken by NRAs, does the NRA do ADR, can a decision of the NRA be appealed, if an ADR process has been initiated can the NRA also initiate a process, etc.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

The place of sub-consumers in the electricity supply system and the protection of their rights

In Latvia, in some cases the final consumer of electricity is a so-called sub-consumer, who is a person that upon agreement with a consumer uses electricity grids in the ownership or possession thereof for the receipt of electricity and does not purchase electricity from the trader or system operator. In this case sub-consumer's equipment is not directly connected to the electricity distribution system. The aim of case study would be to explore how sub-consumers can benefit from the electricity (or natural gas) market and how to protect the rights of sub-consumers.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Regulatory authority internal structure and their attributions

The internal structure of national authorities varies from state to state, depending on the duties provided by the law. It would be interesting to find out how other authorities are organized in order to rich their goals established in the law. Also, it would be great to know how other regulators ensure their independence (financial and functional).

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Consumer empowerment (information, education, comparison tools)

All three key sub-topics to be addressed in order to exchange best practices among members for advancing consumer empowerment. Even though the electricity bills are becoming more detailed, the suppliers and the regulators are publishing a lot of information on their websites and comparison tools are being developed, still a lot of consumers are not well informed on the structure of their electricity bill, where they can lodge a complaint, their rights and obligations as consumers etc. By exchanging best practices and lessons learnt, regulators can introduce more efficient tools or approaches for improving consumer empowerment.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Good practices of energy suppliers for the benefit of energy consumers (including vulnerable customers) - examples and the role of the NRA

Description of actions going beyond the obligations arising from legal rules (like code of good practices, other).

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

DSO, TSO, Supplier websites and applications that consumers access

What kind of information should these websites and applications contain. Good examples for customers and legislations behind processes. May be addressed under "Consumer empowerment".

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Role of NRAs in billing complaints

This deliverable would be firmly connected to the „billing“ deliverable – they can be separated but also put together (e.g. in a form of a report). Or some sub-topics can be separated for roundtable discussion. The deliverable should answer to following questions:

how are the complaints on supply billing dealt with by the supplier? what are the time limits? what are the sanctions for not keeping the time limits?
does NRA provide protection if the supplier fails to settle a complaint?

I am aware we already discussed the topic of complaints, but in relation towards distributors/suppliers. This proposal aims specificaly on the role of NRA as a supervisory body.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Supplier contract terms and conditions securing consumers rights

Better understanding of supplier agreements focusing on essential terms such as payment terms, delivery obligations, liability clauses and warranties.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

New phenomena on the energy markets

The ERRA CP WG published the "BENCHMARKING REPORT NEW PHENOMENA IN THE ENERGY MARKETS IN ERRA MEMBER COUNTRIES: Prosumers, Energy Communities, Peer to Peer Trading and Sharing report". As these activities are constantly evolving, it would be worthy to regularly follow up the situation. (Joint topic with ET COM)

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Roles and obligations of service providers towards consumers (commercial quality, complaint handling, information provided to consumers)

Is there an adequate legal framework on these issues, what is still missing, what type of sanctions, effective, efficient and proportionate, should be in place in case service providers do not comply with their obligations? Share of best practices and lessons learnt.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Monitoring energy prices on the retail market

The scope and method of monitoring and how the monitoring results are used. What indicators are used to assess the market situation. (Joint topic with EMER and GF COMs)

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Advantages and disadvantages of Smart Metering

Smart Metering and Smart Grid are recent issues that have advantages and disadvantages (price, communication, battery-for natural gas etc.) that could be a case study work.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Natural gas contracts, Consumers Rights vs Obligations

Understanding Natural Gas supply Contracts and comparing end user customers rights and obligations in different countries and also better understandind of different types of cosumers (residential - commercial - indusrtial) rights vs obligations , as well as legible Vs eligible consumers rights and oblogations. (Joint topic with GF COM)

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Contractual regulations

Illustrating the contractual rules for energy supply contract (dynamic prices contracts) and network connection/use contracts, precontractual and termination rules and informing obligations included.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Decentralization: Distributed generation; prosumers, RES communities and other new roles in the evolving energy landscape

Is there an adequate legal framework on these issues, what is still missing and what are the challenges faced during implementation? Share of best practices and lessons learnt. (Joint topic with ET COM)

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Monitoring the level and effectiveness of the retail electricity and gas markets opening

Current scope of energy price regulation, plans, analyses, projects, conditions for further deregulation of the energy market. Roundtable as well as case studies of countries with extensive experience in this field should be used. (Joint topic with EMER and GF COMs)

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Hydrogen blending and Biomethane injection effects on consumers

Hydrogen blending with natural gas and biomethane injection is getting popular due to carbon emission issues. But their positive or negative effects on consumers are not considered properly. If there is an expert within ERRA members this could be a in-house expertise topic. But also some experiences of other countries could be an output-type topic too. (Joint topic with GF COM)

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Practical aspects of supplier switching

Description of participants and their roles, process, dates, possible costs and compensation for the current supplier, typical problems and protection of customers in the process of changing the supplier, including verification of the application and possibility of withdrawal from the contract before and after its start.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Scope of public service obligations of energy suppliers

Default supplier, supplier of last resort, obligations in the field of renewable energy and prosumers activity, other public service obligations of suppliers.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Division of customer protection responsibilities between the NRA and other public institutions (map of institutions)

No description provided.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Regulatory tools ensuring/increasing the independence of DSOs in the event of ownership, legal and accounting unbundling

No description provided.

Relevant

Priority

Preferred via in-person meeting

Please add any additional comments/suggestions