Abstract
Overview
Introduction
Tariff development and innovation has gathered pace since the liberalisation of markets in Europe. Whilst some features are common across all markets, others are not. Tariff designers need to have a view of all the options when designing the optimum products for their market.
Scope
- A structured review of tariffing elements across four geographies. The UK, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain
- An analysis of the similarities and differences that have arisen
- A check-list of options to be considered when creating tariffs for your market
- A view of potential future innovations
Report Highlights
Whilst many tariff building blocks are common across geographies, there are significant differences deriving from historical pre-competition circumstances or the degree to which the market is still influenced by state regulated tariffs
In those markets which are still highly influenced by state controlled tariffs, change will come as state controls are removed later in 2008. The palette of alternative products which have developed elsewhere is a useful challenge to current practice
With the availability of real time energy consumption data we will see new products coming on to the market
Reasons to Purchase
- Gain an understanding of alternative tariff formulations across a multiplicity of tariffing dimensions
- Gain insight into the optimum offering for your company as the market place changes
- Challenge thinking - break away from how it is done today and think how it might be in the future
Table of Contents
- DATAMONITOR VIEW
- CATALYST
- SUMMARY
- SOURCES
- ANALYSIS
- Tariffing can be a creator of value for energy retailers
- Tariffing is likely to be increasingly used buy energy companies as a means of increasing value
- Different markets have evolved at different speeds, but their tariffing innovations are based on common drivers
- An inventory of current and potential tariffing innovation provides a useful tariff design palette
- The development of tariff innovation varies greatly by market
- Banded tariffs have been developed in order to respond to some
consumers' dislike of standing orders
- Banded tariffs are used to manage customer preference and size of household economics
- In the UK, British Gas has a three-tier pricing structure
- In the Netherlands, Essent has developed a tariff structure based on household size
- In Italy, AGSM of Verona has six bands in its pricing structure
- In Spain, banded tariffs vary by maximum offtake capacity rather than total consumption
- Geographical tariffs are used for competitive positioning, taking into
account costs, competitive strengths, and levels of competition
- The use of geographical tariff structures differs significantly between the four markets covered
- In the UK, factors other than distribution cost are impacting upon pricing
- Postalized pricing is the norm for electricity in the Netherlands
- Due to the consumer protection tariff, there are hundreds of regional tariffs in Italy
- In Spain, the regulated price is postalized, varying by power rather than by geography
- Dual fuel tariffs are the established norm in the UK but are absent in
the Netherlands, Italy and Spain
- In the UK, the norm is for discounts to be offered to customers who opt to buy both fuels from one supplier
- In the Netherlands, bundled gas and electricity exists as a product, but dual fuel discounts are not a feature of the market
- In Italy, although dual fuel price competition is emerging, offerings are contingent on both fuels being purchased
- In Spain, although dual fuel competition is emerging, dual fuel tariffs are not yet a feature of the market
- Dual rate tariffs exploit profile differences of evening use
- In the UK, dual rate tariffs are an option within a tariff class
- In the Netherlands, dual rate tariffs are simply an alternative offering within a tariff class
- In Italy, dual rate tariffs are profiled as an innovation for marketing purposes
- In Spain, dual rate tariffs are established by the regulator
- Affinity and loyalty tariffs can provide greater customer acquisition
and retention
- In the UK, loyalty and affinity tariffs lock into popular or specific appeal programs outside those of the energy supplier
- In the Netherlands, loyalty and affinity tariffs are not a feature of the market
- In Spain, loyalty and affinity tariffs are managed in-house schemes
- While budget plans exist in all geographies their penetration varies
significantly
- In the UK, budget plan tariffs account for 50% of the market
- In the Netherlands, budget plan tariffs are the industry standard
- In Italy, budget plan tariffs are marketed as new innovations of the liberalized market
- In Spain, the incentives to develop budget plan tariffs have been limited
- Fixed and capped tariffs are a significant new feature of all markets with the exception of Spain
- In the UK, fixed and capped tariffs have captured a significant share of the new contract market
- In the Netherlands, consumers can opt for fixed and capped tariffs
- In Italy, fixed and capped tariffs are appearing as an alternative to the traditional state-controlled tariffs
- Green tariffs offer ' conscience satisfaction' and will increasingly
offer routes to satisfy mandatory regulatory requirements
- In the UK, green tariffs were originally positioned at a price premium but are becoming more and more mainstream
- Green tariffs have become the mainstream in the Netherlands
- In Italy, green tariffs are being used in combined offerings in the competitive market
- In Spain, green tariffs are offered as an alternative to the state-controlled tariff
- Internet-based tariffs offer suppliers lower cost to serve, and to
acquire, and offer customers convenience and easy access
- In the UK, internet-based tariffs are a source of consumer discounts, as suppliers share the cost savings with customers
- In the Netherlands, internet dealing is promoted as an additional service to customers
- Similarly, in Italy, internet facilities are an additional customer service rather than a source of discounts
- All of the major providers in Spain enable customers to pay their bill over the internet
- Banded tariffs have been developed in order to respond to some
consumers' dislike of standing orders
- Looking to the future, the industry expects smart metering to bring in
additional tariffing innovation
- Looking to the future, the industry expects smart metering to bring in additional tariffing innovation
- The Oxxio program is Europe' s leading example of where smart metering may take tariffs
- The Energy Service company may provide a view of the future
- While the building blocks of tariffs are similar across all of the geographies studied, some significant differences are evident
- Tariffing can be a creator of value for energy retailers
- APPENDIX
- Methodology
- Ask the analyst
- Datamonitor consulting
- Disclaimer
- List of Tables
- Table 1: British Gas uses its three-tier pricing structure to ensure price competitiveness with high offtake households
- Table 2: The differences in cost between the ' budget' and ' standaard' tariffs are significant
- Table 3: AGSM has six variable price bands
- Table 4: Electricity costs per kWh can be almost a third higher for the biggest users
- Table 5: All of the UK' s major suppliers offer a discount for dual fuel
- Table 6: All of the large suppliers offer reductions for budget plan tariffs
- Table 7: npower and SSE offer green energy without charging a premium tariff
- List of Figures
- Figure 1: The UK is currently the most innovative market with regards to tariffing
- Figure 2: UK gross margins vary greatly by region
- Figure 3: In the Netherlands, distribution costs are billed separately from electricity costs
- Figure 4: Iberdrola' s tariff structure
- Figure 5: Nuon does not offer any discount for dual fuel
- Figure 6: Eni offers dual fuel customers the equivalent of one free day per month
- Figure 7: Endesa is offering dual fuel customers a 5% discount
- Figure 8: npower' s dual rate tariff is available to consumers using up to 728kWh per annum
- Figure 9: British Gas offers both a ' Single Rate' tariff and an ' Economy 7' tariff
- Figure 10: DONG' s tariff listings
- Figure 11: Enel' s tariff listing
- Figure 12: Iberdrola offers different prices depending on the time of day consumption takes place
- Figure 13: EDF links into the Nectar points scheme
- Figure 14: Enel' s scheme offers points for servicing the account online
- Figure 15: Eni' s loyalty scheme was originally put in place for its petrol stations
- Figure 16: The Union Fenosa scheme is the most developed of the schemes in Spain
- Figure 17: Enel offers a budget plan option
- Figure 18: Italcogim offers customers monthly or bi-monthly billing options
- Figure 19: Price-capping has become a core part of E.ON' s marketing strategy
- Figure 20: DONG in the Netherlands offers both fixed and capped prices
- Figure 21: Enel in Italy offers fixed electricity and gas prices for two years
- Figure 22: Essent offers customers its ' green' option at the same price as its ' grey' option
- Figure 23: Enel' s ' green' tariff offers a fixed price for two years
- Figure 24: ABM' s fixed and green prices are combined into a single offering
- Figure 25: British Gas claims average savings of up to £222 for customers on its Click Energy 4 tariff
- Figure 26: Asmea is one example of an electricity provider that allows customers to manage their accounts online
- Figure 27: Endesa has launched the ' e-bill' , whereby customers receive their bill via email
- Figure 28: Enel has been a leader in the use of technology
