The Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has published a draft guideline for the ACT’s electricity suppliers facing a new era of transparency and comparability beginning in October.
Chief Executive Officer of the ICRC, Annette Weier said the Commission was seeking feedback on the draft ACT Retail Electricity (Transparency and Comparability) Code Guideline, which provided guidance on the application of the retailer obligations and the clear advice entitlement in the ACT Code.
Dr Weier said the draft Guideline also provided guidance on how to calculate the unconditional price of an offer and conditional discounts; how to undertake better offer checks and give better offer messages to customers; and the minimum standards retailers should apply to meet the clear advice entitlement.
“As noted in our final report, a stakeholder raised a concern that some retailers may be unable to embed working hyperlinks into a customer’s actual bill for the better offer message, where bills are sent electronically,” Dr Weier said.
“As an alternative, another stakeholder submitted that the same message be placed on all customers’ bills to prompt customers to contact their retailer and visit its website,” she said.
“In consideration of this, we removed the hyperlink requirement from the Code.”
Dr Weier said the ICRC still believed customers would benefit from being able to click on a relevant link to be taken to the appropriate better offer website and suggested that if the price comparator website information could be included as a hyperlink, then it should be.
The Chief Executive Officer said that if a hyperlink was not possible, the web address www.energymadeeasy.gov.au must be included.
“We invite suggestions for feasible, cost-effective ways to make it easy for customers to be taken to the appropriate website,” she said.
Dr Weier said feedback on the draft Guideline was being accepted until 6 August.
The ICRC’s 35-page draft Guideline, including information on how to have a say, can be accessed at this PS News link.
