Electricity in France

4.1 Understanding Your French Electricity Bill##

French electricity bills have become considerably more complex in recent years as successive governments have altered the way electricity is taxed and network charges are collected.

Although the layout differs slightly between suppliers such as EDF, Engie, TotalEnergies and others, all bills contain the same basic information.

i. Account Details

The first page contains your account information and contact details for your supplier.

The most important reference is your customer number (référence client), which you should quote whenever you contact your supplier.

You will also find your Point de Livraison (PDL) or, for newer Linky smart meter installations, your Point de Référence Mesure (PRM). This is the unique identification number for your electricity supply point and will be requested if you report a fault, move house or change supplier.

The front page also shows the billing period; the total amount payable; the payment due date; your chosen method of payment.

ii. Your Electricity Consumption

The following pages provide a detailed breakdown of your electricity consumption.

The bill shows: the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed during the billing period; the price charged per kilowatt-hour; your annual standing charge (abonnement); taxes and regulated network charges.

If you subscribe to a dual-tariff contract, consumption will be shown separately for Heures Pleines (HP) – peak-rate electricity or Heures Creuses (HC) – off-peak electricity.

Many suppliers also include comparisons with previous years and monthly consumption graphs based on data collected by the Linky smart meter.

iii. The Main Components of Your Bill

Your electricity bill consists of several principal elements:

a. Electricity Supply

This is the commercial part of your contract and represents the cost of purchasing electricity from your supplier.

Unlike the other elements of your bill, this is the only component that differs significantly between suppliers. Competitive offers generally affect this part of the bill only.

b. Network Charges (TURPE)

One of the least understood components of a French electricity bill is the Tarif d'Utilisation des Réseaux Publics d'Électricité (TURPE).

The TURPE finances the operation, maintenance and modernisation of France's electricity network, including both RTE, which operates the high-voltage transmission network and Enedis, which manages almost all of the local distribution network.

Although most domestic bills do not display the TURPE as a separate line, it forms part of both your standing charge (abonnement) and your unit price per kilowatt-hour.

The TURPE now represents approximately one-third of the final cost of electricity paid by most households.

The amount is set nationally by the Commission de Régulation de l'Énergie (CRE) and is identical regardless of your electricity supplier.

From 1 August 2026, the TURPE increased by an average of 3.04%, reflecting continued investment in the electricity network to accommodate renewable energy production, electric vehicles and rising electricity demand. The increase contributed to an average 2.5% rise in regulated electricity tariffs.

Changing supplier does not reduce this charge.

c. Contribution Tarifaire d'Acheminement (CTA)

The Contribution Tarifaire d'Acheminement (CTA is a separate levy used to finance pension rights for employees in the electricity and gas industries.

Unlike the TURPE, the CTA appears as a separate item on your bill.

It is calculated as a percentage of part of the fixed network charge rather than on the electricity you consume.

Since 1 February 2026, the CTA applicable to domestic consumers has been reduced from 21.93% to 15%, slightly reducing this component of electricity bills.

d. Electricity Excise (Accise sur l'électricité)

Another important charge is the Accise sur l'électricité.

It has had previous names: CSPE (Contribution au Service Public de l'Électricité) and later TICFE (Taxe Intérieure sur la Consommation Finale d'Électricité).

These have now been replaced by the single national electricity excise.

For domestic customers supplied at up to 36 kVA, the rate since 1 February 2026 has been €0.03085 per kWh

This tax is collected by electricity suppliers and paid to the State.

Unlike the former CSPE, it is no longer specifically intended to finance renewable energy support, although the revenue contributes to general government expenditure and energy policy.

e. Local Electricity Taxes

Until recently many households also paid local electricity consumption taxes (Taxes sur la Consommation Finale d'Électricité – TCFE), collected on behalf of communes and departments.

These local taxes have now been absorbed into the national electricity excise and no longer appear separately on domestic electricity bills.

f. Value Added Tax (TVA)

The VAT rules changed significantly in 2025.

Previously the standing charge and CTA were subject to VAT at 5.5%; electricity consumption and other taxes attracted VAT at 20%.

Since 1 August 2025, a single VAT rate of 20% applies to almost the entire electricity bill including the standing charge.

This simplification increased VAT on the fixed part of most household electricity bills.

4.2 Paying Your Electricity Bill

Most electricity suppliers offer several methods of payment. The most common are:

Direct debit (prélèvement automatique), either on the due date or by monthly instalments.
Credit or debit card, either online or by telephone.
Bank transfer.
Cheque (although this method is becoming less common).

Most suppliers also encourage customers to manage their account online through a secure customer portal. EDF customers, for example, can access their account through Mon Espace Client, where they can view bills, monitor consumption, submit requests and make payments.

i. Billing

Most domestic customers now receive an electricity bill every one or two months, depending on their supplier and chosen billing option.

Since the widespread installation of Linky smart meters, meter readings are normally transmitted automatically to the network operator, Enedis. As a result, bills are generally based on actual consumption rather than estimates, and there is no longer any need for routine visits by meter readers or the submission of manual meter readings.

Customers whose property is not yet equipped with a Linky meter may still receive estimated bills between physical meter readings. In such cases, it is usually possible to submit your own meter reading online, by telephone or via your supplier's customer service portal in order to receive a bill based on actual consumption.

ii. Monthly Budget Payments

Most suppliers also offer a monthly budget payment plan (mensualisation).

Under this system, your annual electricity consumption is estimated and divided into equal monthly instalments. Your account is then adjusted once a year to reflect your actual consumption. If you have used more electricity than estimated, you pay the difference; if you have used less, you receive a refund or credit.

This option helps smooth seasonal fluctuations in electricity costs, particularly for households using electric heating.

iii. Electronic Billing*

Electronic billing (facture électronique) is now the default option for many suppliers.

Customers can download their bills, payment history and consumption data directly from their online account and may also choose to receive email notifications whenever a new bill becomes available.

4.3 Smart Electricity Meters

Almost every home and business in France is now equipped with a Linky smart electricity meter, installed by the electricity distribution network operator, Enedis. The nationwide rollout, one of the largest in Europe, has replaced almost all traditional electricity meters.

The Linky meter automatically transmits your electricity consumption to Enedis, allowing your supplier to bill you on the basis of your actual usage rather than estimated readings. As a result, routine visits by meter readers have largely disappeared.

Monitoring Your Consumption

The Linky meter includes a digital display showing basic information such as your cumulative electricity consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh), your subscribed power level (puissance souscrite) and your current tariff option, such as Heures Pleines/Heures Creuses.

The display does not show the monetary cost of your electricity usage. Instead, detailed information on your daily and hourly consumption is available through your supplier's online customer account or via the Mon Compte Enedis website and mobile application. These services can help identify periods of high electricity usage and make it easier to reduce consumption.

Faster Customer Services

Because the meter communicates remotely with Enedis, many operations that previously required a technician to visit your property can now be carried out electronically. These include commissioning a new electricity supply, reconnecting or disconnecting a supply, changing your subscribed power level and carrying out certain technical diagnostics.

This has significantly reduced waiting times for many routine requests.

Installation Costs and Charges

Customers are not billed separately for the installation of a Linky meter. The cost of the national deployment is recovered through the regulated electricity network charges (TURPE) paid by all consumers as part of their electricity bill.

However, households that continue to use a non-communicating electricity meter may incur additional charges if Enedis has to carry out manual meter readings. The amount is determined by the French energy regulator (Commission de Régulation de l'Énergie – CRE) and is reviewed periodically.

Solar Panels and Self-Consumption

For households producing their own electricity from solar panels, the Linky meter simplifies metering arrangements. In many installations, a single bi-directional meter records both electricity imported from the grid and surplus electricity exported back to it, replacing the multiple meters previously required.

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