To enable consumers to play a more active role on the energy market, MEPs suggest:

- introducing new business models, such as collective purchasing schemes and innovative financial instruments aiming to help consumers to use more self-generation, self-consumption and energy efficiency tools

- reducing to an absolute minimum the administrative barriers to new energy self-generation, shortening authorisation procedures and promoting community/cooperative energy schemes, and

- setting up favourable and fair conditions for tenants and those living in apartment buildings allowing them to make more use of self-generation and energy efficiency tools.

Clear pricing

MEPs also propose a series of ways to make energy prices more transparent:

- more frequent bills and easier to understand contracts,

- measures enabling consumers to compare different offers, even without internet access or skills, and ascertain whether they could save money by switching providers, such as:

- independent, up-to-date and understandable comparison tools,

- notifying consumers, "in or alongside energy bills about the most suitable and advantageous tariff for them based on historic consumption patterns", and

- ensuring that consumers can change to that tariff, if they so wish, in the simplest way possible, without any termination fee or penalty,

- developing dynamic pricing, reflecting the peak and off-peak periods of energy consumption, and transparent, comparable and clearly explained tariffs,

- easy and timely access to the consumption data and related costs, and

- developing smart grids and appliances that automate energy demand management in response to price signals.

Energy poverty

Energy poverty - cases in which people cannot heat or use electricity in their homes at affordable prices - should be tackled at its roots, say MEPs, who call "for EU funds for energy efficiency and support for self-generation to better focus on energy-poor, low-income consumer."

“Well-targeted social tariffs are vital for low-income, vulnerable citizens, and should therefore be promoted", they add, stipulating "that any such social tariffs should be fully transparent."

Next steps

The resolution is to be put to a vote by Parliament as a whole at its May II session. The recommendations will feed into upcoming legislative proposals for the future Energy Union.