Test-Achats consumer protection group and the Enbro energy consultancy have launched a free Internet site aimed at helping consumers find the most affordable energy prices. The new Gaele platform can save consumers more than 200 euros a year, according to Test-Achats.
Although users have been free to choose their own energy suppliers for about 10 years now, only one-third have already changed their providers since the Belgian energy market was liberalized, the consumer protection group said.
“One in five Belgians say they do not feel like searching for information on the possibilities existing on the energy market,” Test-Achats’ Julie Frère explained. They say it’s “too bothersome, too complex, not transparent enough, too unclear for the layman. So they opt for the guarantee from the service provider they have used for years, and this energy supplier is the only one reaping all the benefits.”
The Gaele online platform constantly monitors the evolution of prices on the energy market and will propose to consumers to change their suppliers at the most appropriate time (this could be many times a year) without their having to worry about anything, Test-Achats explained.
“We know consumers want the best energy contracts possible without having to make too much effort,” said Luc Demeyere, director of Enbro, a non-profit organization that advises companies on energy tariffs, “Many of them don’t want to go through the possibilities themselves and look for someone they can trust to do the work for them. Gaele thus becomes their personal energy broker.”
The Brussels Times
