Illustration of a meter – ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP

CONSUMPTION The bill will be less painful for some homes …

gas bills or revaluations
 electricity over 14 months is completed. The National Energy mediator Jean Gaubert Thursday welcomed in a statement the commencement of the limitation of these retrofits.

“The prohibition of more than 14 months billing catching up” is ” a major advance for consumers, “one of the” most concrete (…) energy transition law for green growth of 17 August 2015, “said Jean Gaubert, said in the statement.

billing adjustments for more than a year prohibited

If at least once a year, the distributor has the obligation to make a meter reading and the provider to bill the actual consumption, guests were presented with notes which total occurred years ago consumption.

too long duration estimation, meter reading of default or non-inclusion of self-identified by users: in 2015, the average bill for these retrofits totaled 3,600 euros in cases where the Ombudsman intervened

& gt; & gt;. Read also: The prices of the regulated electricity will fall by 0.5% on 1 August

It had therefore called for the legislature to prohibit these billing adjustments more one year, as part of the energy transition law adopted in August 2015. under this law, the measure will be effective from Friday.

the catching up, a third of cases handled by the Ombudsman

“These significant amounts could unbalance the household budget, especially the most modest (…) the prohibition of more than 14 months billing retrofits is a balanced and effective measure to prevent tipping precariously energy “, says Jean Gaubert

& gt;. & gt; Read also: Gas prices will rise by 2% in August

Now the power distribution network managers will have two extra months to contact customers whose statement does has been achieved in the year. In case of non-response customers, operators can still charge them more than 14 months of consumption.

The electricity billing retrofits or natural gas account for almost a third of cases handled by the National energy Ombudsman, independent public authority that handles disputes over energy consumption since 2007.

rules to follow to protect outrageous bills

guard these sometimes very hefty bills, UFC-Que Choisir, as noted by Le Figaro , reminds consumers to follow the rules.

“for this limit of 14 months applies, says UFC on its website, the user must always be in good faith. “He must” have left the access to his account on the day of the reading or have passed its self consumption surveys. If it does not, simply nevertheless it complies after receiving the official letter with acknowledgment provider asking it to transmit its consumer index “.

This is only after this procedure, if it remains unsuccessful, the gas or electricity supplier is allowed to charge beyond the statutory 14-month recalls the UFC.

Keywords: