Electricity, gas, water and waste

Electricity and gas: the market is open

For households the regulated energy market has closed: today you pick a seller on the free market. Protection remains for vulnerable customers — over 75s, people in physical or economic hardship, residents of smaller islands or areas hit by exceptional events — plus a transitional service for those who never chose anyone.

Anyone who never chose a seller ended up in the Servizio a Tutele Graduali, which is transitional: the assigned conditions run until 31 March 2027, after which you continue on the free market with the same seller unless you have chosen another.

The framework has changed several times in recent years. The useful thing to know is that changing seller is free and takes a few weeks, with no interruption of supply and nobody touching the meter: the network belongs to a different company, the distributor, which stays the same whichever seller you pick.

Voltura, subentro, new connection

Three words worth different amounts of money and different numbers of days.

Operation	When you need it	Indicative cost	Timing
Voltura	The meter is live, only the account holder changes	Modest admin charge, often €25–60	A few working days
Subentro	The previous occupant closed the meter	Higher, often €70–110	Several days, up to a week
New connection	The supply point does not exist	Much higher, by quotation	Weeks or months

What you need

• Tax code and identity document of the account holder.
• The POD for electricity (a code starting with IT, printed on the bill) and the PDR for gas (14 digits).
• The exact supply address, and often the property's cadastral data.
• The meter reading at handover: photograph it.
• An IBAN, if you set up direct debit — which normally avoids the security deposit.

Water

Not a market: the water service is entrusted to a single operator per territorial area. You cannot switch, only put the account in your name. The transfer is requested from the local operator, and in some small municipalities the town hall still runs the service itself.

In apartment buildings water is often centralised: you have no contract of your own and the cost arrives through the building accounts.

Waste: the TARI

It is a municipal tax, not a supplier's bill. It is calculated on the square metres of the dwelling and the number of occupants, at rates set by the municipality.

While at the town hall, also ask for: the separate collection calendar, the bins or cards for the containers, and where the collection centre is for bulky and special waste. The rules change from one municipality to the next, and so do the fines.

The TV licence

The public broadcasting licence is paid inside the electricity bill for your main home, charged in instalments over the first months of the year. For 2026 the amount is back to €90 a year, charged in 10 instalments of €9 on the bills from January to October.

If you have no television set in the house you do not pay it, but not owning one is not enough: you must file a declaration of non-possession with Agenzia delle Entrate, and it must be filed again every year. The deadlines matter: by 31 January to be exempt for the whole year, by 30 June for the second half only. It is sent through the agency's web application, by PEC or by registered post.

Reading the bill

Electricity and gas bills follow a format set by the regulator, and the part that actually concerns you is small:

• Cost of the energy or gas: the only item on which sellers compete.
• Transport and meter management: identical for everyone, set by regulation.
• System charges: identical for everyone.
• Taxes and VAT.

When comparing two offers, compare the first item and the fixed monthly charge. The rest does not change.

Unsolicited contracts and cold calling

A widespread problem with a precise remedy.

• A contract concluded by phone or at the door can be cancelled within 14 days with no reason, under the right of withdrawal.
• If a bill arrives from a seller you never signed with, ARERA runs a restoration procedure: the supply is returned to the previous seller and the offending company cannot demand payment.
• Never give your POD or PDR to a caller: those are the codes that let a contract be opened in your name.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the utilities in the landlord's name. You pay consumption you do not control, cannot switch supplier and cannot claim support.
• Not photographing the meters on handover day: the first estimated bills then become impossible to challenge.
• Forgetting the TARI declaration.
• Not filing the TV non-possession declaration when you have no television.
• Signing on the phone to "save money". Always ask for the written contract and read the fixed charge.