1 July is the day that marks the liberalisation of the domestic power supply market. This means that householders will be free to choose their electric and gas supply company, in other words shop around for the best offers.

With roughly 200 energy companies throughout Italy (that includes European, Italian, local and renewable energy companies) entering the fray in search of new customers, finding a true bargain may be a complicated matter.

The energy authority has drawn up a code of commercial conduct to ensure fairness and clarity for the consumer and on 1 July a list of reliable suppliers will be published on the authority