Italy to Portugal, via Austria: Residential Switching & App Experience

Residential energy customers across Europe are no longer passive ratepayers. In competitive markets, customer churn has become a key signal of service quality, a symptom of broken customer experience when it spikes. This report examines residential switching trends in Portugal, Italy, and Austria, combining official churn statistics from national regulators with public user feedback from energy apps. The goal is not to rank individual providers, but to reveal common patterns and country-specific pain points driving customers to switch.

Across all three countries, the message is clear: consumers value simplicity, trust, and control in their energy services. When the digital experience falls short, particularly in areas such as billing clarity, login/access issues, and contract transparency, customers vote with their feet and switch to alternatives. High churn rates in some markets often indicate where user expectations are not being met. Energy suppliers that address these UX friction points can potentially reduce churn and build longer-term loyalty.