Objectives, scope and main tasks In July 2014, Ipsos, London Economics and Deloitte were commissioned to conduct the 2nd consumer market study on the functioning of retail electricity markets for consumers in the European Union (EU). This study is the follow up to the 1st market study, published by the European Commission in November 2010. The objectives of this 2nd study are to investigate if a well-functioning electricity market is in place for consumers in the EU and assess how the performance of retail electricity markets for consumers has developed since the 1st market study. The study also examines the extent to which consumers make informed and empowered choices and what motivates their behaviour in electricity markets. Several tasks were carried out between July 2014 and December 2015: - a regulatory review that consisted of checking on the presence and scope of EU consumer energy rights across the EU28, Norway and Iceland; - a consumer survey that focussed on consumer awareness, attitudes and expectations, consumer mobility, consumer engagement, choice, affordability, consumer perceptions on quality of service, consumer attitudes towards energy efficiency, problems experienced by consumers and complaint behaviour; - a behavioural experiment that consisted of a "stay or switch" experiment which tested whether consumers are able to select the best deal available (i.e. the deal that is the cheapest for the respondent's consumption profile) and a comprehension test of bills and marketing material; - a mystery shopping exercise that focussed on the availability and quality of information and assistance provided to consumers, and attempted to replicate consumers' experiences in four areas: "questions about billing", "finding a cheaper tariff", "information about switching and complaint handling" and "information about green tariffs and energy efficiency"; - a price collection exercise with an objective to compile and analyse a comprehensive and representative sample of electricity prices offered to consumers, by collecting detailed tariff information for three different consumption levels and for different contract types; - consultations with national stakeholders, i.e. energy regulators, consumer associations, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) entities active in the retail energy sector, electricity industry associations, enforcement bodies and company mediators.
