Electricity Supply Services in France

1. Opening an Electricity Account in France
2. Getting a New Electricity Supply
3. French Electricity Tariffs
4. Your French Electricity Bill
5. Assistance with Payment of Electricity Bills
6. Changing Your Electricity Supplier
7. Complaints Procedures

3. French Electricity Tariffs

There are two main regulated tariffs, the details of each are given below. They are subject to at least annual review.

A household can choose the power supply they need for their home. The amount of power you will need will depend on the size of your property, number of inhabitants and the heating system. A small apartment might well manage with 3KVA, whilst a larger property might need 12KVA or more.

The power supply offered by EDF goes up to 36KVA, although in the following tables we only show tariffs to 18KVA.

The Base option has been progressively withdrawn for new residential subscribers. A supply of 9–15 kVA was closed to new subscriptions from 1 February 2025 — existing subscribers at this supply may retain the Base option indefinitely, provided they do not change their subscribed power. For supplies of 18–36 kVA, the option was suppressed from 1 February 2026; existing subscribers who have not switched voluntarily will be automatically transferred to HP/HC on 1 February 2027.

The tariffs include VAT and other increasingly significant taxes and charges - notably the Accise sur l'électricité (formerly the CSPE), and the Contribution Tarifaire d'Acheminement (CTA).

Despite the criticisms of consumer groups about electricity charges in France, the regulated prices EDF are obliged to charge French consumers actually means they make a loss each year on their domestic operations. In addition, electricity prices in France continue to remain below the European average. However, many French households pay more in electricity than consumers elsewhere in Europe due to the poor level of insulation in many homes.

In addition, since 2021 wholesale prices of electricity have risen significantly, which has necessitated intervention by the French government to limit the increase in tariffs, which you can read about at Electricity Price Rises in France 2022 and our subsequent piece Electricity Prices in France 2023. Without this protection price increases would have been substantially greater.

Households without a Linky smart meter now pay a surcharge of €38.90 per year (excluding VAT). A further surcharge of €24.84 per year (excluding VAT) applies where no consumption index has been transmitted for more than 12 months. This charge increased significantly in August 2025, when VAT on standing charges rose from 5.5% to 20%

The following tariffs are those for EDF (1st Feb 2026),

3.1. 'Tarif de Base' (Bleu)

If your water and space heating is not electric then you would be best to choose this tariff, which has the same rate throughout the day and year.

As stated above, for residential customers, the Base option is now only available at 3 kVA and 6 kVA — a supply of 9 kVA and above have been withdrawn from new customers. Existing customers at higher supply may retain their contracts but cannot be newly subscribed.

3.2. 'Heures Creuses/Heures Pleines'

If you have a night-storage electric water heater and/or storage radiators you would be best advised to choose this option, which provides off peak electricity rates to heat your appliances.

As a broad rule, at least one-third of your total electricity consumption should fall during off-peak hours for this tariff to be worthwhile.

The timing of off-peak hours varies across the country and you should check with your local EDF office or on the ENEDIS website.

In the following table prices as at 1st February 2026.

Until Nov 2025 the system provided for 16 hours in peak hours and 8 hours in off-peak hours, the majority of the latter being concentrated during the night. From Nov 2025, part of the off-peak hours was moved in the afternoon to better exploit solar production, particularly in the summer.

In concrete terms, the new distribution provides for:

Minimum of 5 consecutive hours at night, between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., so that programmed heavy-liability devices (such as the water heater) always operate at a reduced rate during the night.

Up to 3 hours in the afternoon, ideally distributed between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., especially when the sun highest, especially during the summer season (from 1 April to 31 October).

The Energy Ombudsman has announced that from November 2026, off-peak hours will vary between winter and summer schedules to optimise consumption further.

3.3. 'Tempo'

EDF also offers a Tempo tariff with charges that vary according to both the time of day and the time of year, across three day-types: Blue days (cheapest, 300 per year), White days (mid-range, 43 per year), and Red days (most expensive, up to 22 per year, concentrated in winter).

From 1 February 2026, Tempo prices increased on all time slots, with rises of between 7.5% and 9.2%. The tariff requires a minimum supply of 6 kVA and a Linky smart meter. It can offer significant savings for households that are able to shift consumption away from Red day peak hours, but it requires active management and carries a risk of sharply higher bills if usage is not adjusted on Red days.

More details are set out at Option Tempo.

3.4. Advice

If you are in any doubt, the best way of approaching this whole issue is to ask for a free assessment of your requirements by EDF.

There is an English-speaking advisor available at EDF on 09 69 36 63 83.

Next: Your French Electricity Bill

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