S.L. 545.12 Art. 7Customer protection.

(1) Customers connected to the gas network shall be entitled to have their gas provided by a supplier, subject to the supplier’s agreement, regardless of the Member State in which the supplier is registered, as long as the supplier follows the applicable trading and balancing rules and subject to security of supply requirements.

(2) The gas supplier shall ensure that:

(a) where a customer, while respecting the contractual conditions, wishes to change supplier, the change is effected by the operator concerned within three weeks; and

(b) customers are entitled to receive all relevant consumption data.

The gas supplier shall ensure that the rights referred to in paragraphs ( ) and (b) are granted to customers in a non-a discriminatory manner as regards cost, effort or time.

(3) Gas suppliers or distribution system operators shall in cooperation with the Regulator, take the necessary steps to provide consumers with a copy of the energy consumer checklist and ensure that it is made publicly available.

(4) The Regulator shall monitor, report and propose measures to the Minister every two years whether:

(a) there are adequate safeguards to protect vulnerable customers, including measures to help them avoid disconnection and to protect final customers in remote areas; and

(b) there are high levels of consumer protection, particularly with respect to transparency regarding contractual terms and conditions, general information and dispute settlement mechanisms.

(5) Household customers shall have the right to the measures set out in the First Schedule.

(6) In order to promote energy efficiency, the Regulator shall strongly recommend that natural gas undertakings optimise the use of gas, for example by providing energy management services, developing innovative pricing formulas or introducing intelligent metering systems or smart grids where appropriate.

(7) The Regulator shall provide a single point of contact to provide consumers with all necessary information concerning their rights, current legislation and the means of dispute settlement available to them in the event of a dispute. Such contact point may be part of general consumer information points, where applicable.

(8) The Regulator shall carry out the function of an energy ombudsman in order to ensure the efficient treatment of complaints and out-of-court dispute settlements.

(9) Where a household customer requests the natural gas supplier to pass on his historic consumption data and, or premises installation number either to the household customer or to another natural gas supplier or to any other third party, the supplier shall comply with that request free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable; provided that the customer has either already expressed consent in the contract with the supplier upon signature authorising the natural gas supplier to provide access to other natural gas suppliers or energy service providers or third parties to his historic consumption data or provides such written and signed consent when submitting the request for access to be given to his data.

For the purposes of this sub-regulation "historic consumption data" means:

(a) except where a household customer has held his contract for less than twelve months, the quantity of natural gas supplied to the household customer’s premises during the previous twelve months; or

(b) where the household customer has held his contract for less than twelve months, the quantity of natural gas supplied to the household customer’s premises during the duration of the contract.