Contents
Read any offer with the same four-line lens
Sales pages are long; your worksheet is short. Put every offer into four lines you can compare across suppliers: (1) Energy unit price (electricity €/kWh; gas €/Smc) and whether it’s fixed or indexed (to which index, and how often it updates). (2) Fixed monthly fee (quota fissa) per supply point; low users lose money when this is high. (3) Bands and extras: time-of-use prices, green add-ons, paper-bill fees, payment method surcharges. (4) Exit rules: minimum term, penalties, and the procedure to leave. Copy those into a one-page table: current plan vs. Offer A vs. Offer B. Multiply the unit prices by your kWh/Smc, add 12× the fixed fee, and include band effects if they apply. Ignore welcome bonuses and gift cards; you will not “re-bonus” every year. The cheapest annual total for your baseline wins.
Fixed vs. indexed: when to prefer each (and how to sanity-check risk)
Fixed tariffs lock the unit price for 12 months, which makes budgeting easy. You pay a small insurance premium against market swings. Choose fixed if you value stability, you are a low-to-medium user (fixed fees dominate anyway), or you just moved and want to keep admin simple for a year. Indexed tariffs track a public benchmark plus a supplier markup; they can save during calm periods but will rise with the index. Choose indexed if you watch prices, can switch again if the markup creeps up, and your usage is stable enough to see true gains. Always write down the index name, the markup, the update cadence, and the cap/floor if any. If an offer is “indexed” without telling you to what, walk away. The European Commission’s consumer materials on market rules and switching set the baseline for your rights across the EU power and gas markets; they’re useful to confirm that suppliers cannot block a lawful switch or add disproportionate barriers. See: EU — Internal energy market governance (EN).
Use meters and simple habits to make any tariff cheaper
A great offer still loses to waste. Put a power strip on TV/console/decoder to kill standby with one click, move washers and dishwashers to off-peak bands if your tariff has them, and keep boiler flow temperature at the lowest setting that maintains comfort. Vacuum A/C filters monthly in summer and bleed radiators at the start of heating season. Replace halogens with LEDs where you spend time. When an appliance dies, check the EU energy label and the EPREL registry; a better class pays you back month after month. The Commission’s English pages explain the label and link to the registry so you can compare by model before you buy: EU — Understanding the Energy Label (EN).
Internet-style traps to avoid in energy contracts
Energy offers reuse a few classic tricks. “From…” pricing that applies only to a usage band you will never hit. Bundled services (boiler “insurance”, “assistance packs”) that renew by default and add several euros per month. Paper-bill or counter-payment surcharges that vanish if you go digital and pay by direct debit. Modular discounts that require you to keep both gas and electricity even if switching only one would save more. Read the Fee Information box and the contract summary before you sign. If you sign online or by phone and regret it, remember your EU 14-day cooling-off right for distance contracts; cancel in writing, keep the timestamp, and return any device if shipped. A short primer in English by the European Consumer Centres Network is a handy reference for timelines and exceptions: ECC-Net — Cooling-off period (EN).
The 30-minute comparison method (copy/paste)
Minute 0–5: Write your 12-month kWh, Smc, and total spend; note time-band shares. Minute 6–10: Pick two offers to test (one fixed, one indexed) from suppliers you already know or that friends use. Minute 11–20: Fill the four-line table for each offer: unit price (+ index/markup), fixed monthly fee, bands/extras, exit rules. Minute 21–25: Compute the 12-month total for each using your baseline; ignore one-off rewards. Minute 26–30: If the gain vs. today is ≥8–10% after fees, switch; if it’s smaller, call your current supplier and ask for a retention plan that matches the competing offer. Confirm the chosen plan by email/PEC and save a PDF of key pages (prices, term, exit). Put a reminder in your calendar for month 11 to compare again.
Fixed fee vs. unit price: which hurts you more?
Low users (small flats, efficient homes, frequent travel) should obsess over the fixed monthly fee; a high fee erases the nice unit price. High users (electric heating, large households) should obsess over the €/kWh and €/Smc; small unit-price differences compound into big annual swings. Time-of-use can help if you can truly shift loads—set reminders for laundry and dishwashers, and use delayed start. If your life is irregular, pick a simple flat tariff so you don’t pay for a pattern you cannot keep. Re-check the math whenever your routine changes (new baby, remote work, new boiler or heat pump).
What a “good” switch looks like (and how to avoid double billing)
Good switches keep service continuous, respect your cooling-off rights, and deliver a written confirmation with start date, prices, index (if any), and exit terms. Photograph your meters the morning of the switch and submit readings to both suppliers; this prevents estimated overlaps. Track the final closure bill and the first bill from the new supplier—most errors appear there. If you pay by direct debit, check that the old mandate is closed after the final bill. The EU’s consumer guidance on switching sets clear expectations on timing and final billing; the ARERA report also explains, in English, the tools Italy puts at your disposal to make informed choices (Offer/Consumption portals) and the help desk for complaints. Keep both links handy: ARERA Annual Report 2024 (EN, PDF).
When not to switch (yet)
Do not switch if your current bill is distorted by estimated reads you haven’t corrected; submit actual readings first and wait one cycle so you compare apples to apples. Avoid switching mid-renovation or when moving in/out; the chaos hides whether the new plan helped. If a supplier will install a free smart meter or replace a broken one soon, consider waiting; better metering makes time-of-use plans more predictable. If cash is tight and you fear overlap charges, schedule the switch to the day after your current billing period closes and confirm it in writing.
Make the savings stick: automation and one quarterly check
Set two automations that save without thinking: a calendar reminder for meter submissions (or app snapshots) and an email rule that funnels all energy bills into one folder. Each quarter, run the same 30-minute comparison you used to choose the plan. If your tariff is indexed, check that the supplier’s markup hasn’t crept up. If your life changed—new A/C, more people at home—update the baseline. The goal is not “the perfect tariff forever”; it’s “the cheapest decent tariff for how we live now.” For a wider household savings plan that complements energy choices, read our companion guides Cut Utility Bills in Italy and Save Money Living in Italy, then plug any extra bank-fee leaks with Best Bank Accounts in Italy for Expats.
FAQ — “Green” options, dual fuel, and appliance choices
Are “100% green” tariffs worth it? They often include a small premium to buy certificates that match your consumption. If the premium is reasonable and you like the signal, fine—just do not overpay for the label alone. Is dual fuel (electricity + gas) always cheaper? Not always. Price each supply separately, then together; some suppliers discount one but raise the other. Should I upgrade appliances before switching? Switch first if your current plan is clearly bad; then, on replacement cycles, choose higher-efficiency models using the EU label and EPREL to verify real-world consumption. Over a few years, both moves compound.
