Your simplified energy bill since January 1, 2022!

Since 2018, actors in the energy market and anti-security associations are jointly demanding that a simplified energy bill be established for consumer comfort. Well, that is how it works! Beginning January 1, 2022, suppliers are asked to send their customers a simplified invoice holding on a double-sided A4 page. So what does it understand?

Many Belgian consumers do not understand their energy bill

For millions of citizens, the energy bill remains a nebulous and difficult subject: 41% to be accurate. Yes, half of Belgian consumers, often in a precarious situation, feel that they do not understand their energy bill properly and perfectly. In question? There is too much information in it and the complexity of it.

Indeed, when analyzing an electricity or gas invoice in depth, one quickly realises that the terms used are not popularized and therefore not at the door of all. Thus, many Belgians do not know the price they pay, the differences between down payment invoice, gularization or closure, or even if they have access to a specific rate such as the social rate.

>> Read also: The essential guide to understand your energy bill!

What does the Royal Court say about a simplified energy bill for end-users?

April 2021, the Chamber Energy Commission has supported a project to simplify the energy bill for residential clients and small and medium-sized enterprises. This royal stop has taken effect since January 1st 2022.

Drawing in particular on a 2018 publication by the Kings Baudouin Foundation Locator Platform the Energy Commission decided:

• Simplified invoice cannot exceed two pages in double sided A4 format;
• The essential information for the consumer appears first (payment amount and deadline). All the additional data are on the back and always in a simplified manner;
• The consumer is free to choose how to send his invoice. Thus, if you wish to receive it in hard copy, energy providers are required to respect their choice without discussion possible;
• If more curious customers or connoisseurs wish to obtain more information about their electronic invoice, they can find them via their digital customer area. This information must appear clearly on their simplified invoice.

The Simplified Energy Invoice has already been referred to by the Roi Baudouin Foundation in 2018

As mentioned above, the Royal Arrangement follows the 2018 Publication issued by the Kings Baudouin Foundation Lockout Platform.

The working group responsible for this publication on simplifying and understanding of electronic invoices then made 15 recommendations to do so:

1. Group information into separate topics;
2. Group the most important information first;
3. Avoid the aspect 100% digital preferred by suppliers in order to avoid leaving previous consumers who do not always have access to these tools;
4. Issue a single bill for gas AND electricity;
5. Simplify different coupling positions;
6. Define payments to be made and, where applicable, the status of the outstanding debt;
7. Group Help Information (Customer Support, Phone…) ;
8. Group information facilitating comparison of prices and suppliers;
9. Attach a prefilled transfer slip;
10. Specify clearly whether or not the social tariff applies;
11. Indicate if the indexes communicated on the invoice are estimated or returned;
12. Communicate contract modalities: name of the latter, applied price, method of counting (single counter or bi-hour);
13. Indicate the amount of the next instalment invoices;
14. Specify penalties for late or non-payment of invoices;
15. Uniform the contents of the invoice.

Therefore, after more than two years, these recommendations were heard and recognized by the government.

In practice, what does this change on the invoice?

Whether this is Eneco, Mega, Engie, Octa+ or Luminus, all invoices are currently standardized. To give you an idea of “before/after”, Below are examples of invoices dated before January 1st 2022 and other invoices sent after January 1st 2022.

Example of an old Mega Deposit invoice (in French)

Example of a new Mega Deposit Invoice (in French)

Consuming actors: soon an essential role to play?

In parallel with this royal decree, the federal government recently approved an European directive aimed at simplifying the energy transition. Thanks to this decision, the consumer could become a major and central player in the energy field.

The first relative change to this directive rests in supplier change modalities. A step that will be accessed through a prenotification period ranging from one month to three weeks. This deadline will be reduced to 24 hours by 2026.

Plus, the mass arrival of smart meters and dynamic price contracts will strengthen the central consumer role in the energy sector and in its free choice as a supplier.

Did you know? Dynamic price contracts, currently valid only in Flanders and Engie, charge energy based on fluctuations in the wholesale market. Electricity is therefore invoiced on time based on the price it costs to the supplier. Grade this new pricing method, customers who pay attention to their consumption can make up to 15% savings.