What is needed 1. Enabling tools and information that consumers can trust. Complete smart-meter roll- outs and ensure that meters and data use standardised, interoperable protocols and efficient access compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation, so that retailers and aggregators can automate EV charging, heat-pump operation and temperature control reliably. 2. Correct signals and products. Implement dynamic or time-differentiated energy and network tariffs, recovering fixed costs from inelastic demand so that flexible loads see and respond to the signal. Ensure accredited comparison tools list dynamic offers and treat flexibility as a consumer value proposition, either through variable pricing or by selling flexibility via aggregators. 3. Open, competitive markets. Lower entry barriers and streamline pre-qualification for aggregators and new suppliers; clarify roles and responsibilities for active customers to deepen competition. 4. Targeted protection, not blanket support. Under Article 5 of Directive (EU) 2019/944, suppliers should set prices competitively, with vulnerable customers protected through targeted social policies. Any public price intervention should be temporary and narrowly focused. Over time, Member States should reduce the need for such support by improving building efficiency and expanding access to self-generation such as solar PV.