It is made available to energy consumers by February 1st The energy mediator for disputes with suppliers and network operators concerning among others dispute the account or the amount of consumption, the way debt settlement, ambiguity in chargesproblematic information etc.

Energy mediator takes over, as announced today by the president of the Waste, Energy and Water Regulatory Authority Ath. Dagoumas and the head of the energy sector Dimitris Fourlaris, Mr. Komninos Komnios, associate professor, member of the energy sector of RAAEY.

The service is aimed at residential consumers of electricity and natural gas for disputes with suppliers and distribution network operators and is provided free of charge.

The role of the energy mediator

The mediator is a continuation of the tool myrae.gr where consumers can go for complaints and complaints.

If the consumer rejects the company’s answer then he can appeal to mediator who examines the case and suggests (without being able to impose) a solution which the two parties have the possibility to accept or reject.

According to the statistics announced, in 2023 6,075 requests were submitted to myrae (against 12,294 in 2022, a record year due to the energy crisis) of which 10-15% are not resolved through the platform and therefore can henceforth be submitted to mediator.

Over 80% of requests in 2023 were for electricity and 17% for natural gas, while half were for suppliers, 11% for managers and the rest for both.

Neither the appeal nor the recommendation reached by the mediator will be binding on either party. If the recommendation is accepted by consumer and supplier it will be an enforceable title.

RAAEF: The commercial policy is formed by the suppliers

Mr. Dagoumas mentioned that the mediator will operate under the auspices of the Authority, which means that when there is reason, the case will be able to be referred to the Plenary of the FSA.

All of the Authority’s services aimed at consumers will be gathered in a single virtual site of the FSA. These are 8 services including submitting complaints, comparing electricity, energy and electric vehicle charging prices, the energy ombudsman, calculating the cost of energy, saving tips and providing confidential information.

In response to questions about the commercial practices in the electricity market, the management of RAAE stated that the commercial policy is formed by the suppliers, and that the Authority gives consumers all the tools to draw their own conclusions (e.g. price comparison), while when it is judged that a practice does not contribute to the orderly functioning of the market, it interferes.

The RAAEF, like the Ministry of Environment and Energy, leaves open the possibility of changes to the Procurement Code in order to implement any changes deemed necessary for the proper functioning of the market and in particular the categorization of electricity tariffs.