Clearer information and transparency, as well as new rules for dispute resolution between the district heating company and the customer, are proposed by the Energy Market Inspectorate (EI), which, on behalf of the government, has developed proposals that will strengthen customers' position against district heating companies, which often have monopolies.
"Through a dispute resolution function, EI ensures that all district heating customers, including corporate customers, are given the opportunity to have disputes heard on the merits, an opportunity that is lacking today," the authority writes in a press release.
To strengthen supervision, the authority also proposes that district heating companies be forced to pay a fee.
The background is the sharp price increases in recent years and the fact that customers have limited opportunities to influence the price and to change the type of heating, writes EI.
This is confirmation that there is no customer protection, says Rikard Silverfur, head of development and sustainability at Fastighetsägarna.
He would have liked to see the authority go further, to more clearly determine what should be tested, that is, that the price should be reasonable.
Therefore, the government should now instruct EI to investigate the issue of what should be considered a fair price, otherwise the proposal risks being too weak, believes Silverfur.
