Agnes Roos, member of the management board of Eesti Energia, said that business customers will not be automatically transferred. Customers have to decide for themselves and express their desire to subscribe.

"We will send an offer to all Eesti Energia business customers who are eligible for universal service. Offers can also be found on Eesti Energia's e-service. Customers have enough time to consider whether the universal service is beneficial to them, so they must consent to the switch. You have to accept the offer before November 23 if you want to use the universal service retroactively from November 1," Roos explained.

The universal service is available to businesses with fewer than 50 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of less than €10 million. Non-profit organizations, foundations and self-employed individuals can also opt for universal service up to a yearly electricity consumption of 1 gigawatt hour.

Nearly half of Eesti Energia's business customers – 16,800 consumers – qualify for this service.

The price of the universal service may fluctuate over time. The universal service is available to businesses for one year and two months, until the end of 2023.

In addition, unlike for household consumers, the law does not guarantee business consumers to transfer to the universal service without contractual penalties. "Because we have made financial transactions in advance for fixed-price contracts as an electricity seller, when switching to universal service, business consumers have to adhere to the terms of their current electricity contracts," Roos explained.

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