Hello! This is a continuation of my series on how to move to France. So, it seems you have made it to the point of signing up for electricity in France. Below you will find guidance on how to set up your electricity with EDF based upon my personal experience.
Gas or Electricity with EDF – Available Options
I signed up for electricity with EDF since it is the biggest energy supplier in France. However, there are a plethora of energy companies that you can utilize in France if you would prefer another supplier. Unfortunately, I can only speak to my experience with EDF.
Pricing
EDF provides both electricity and natural gas. They offer energy on the basis of either “market prices” or “tariff blue” (i.e. le tarif bleu).” Tariff blue refers to the regulated tariff for the sale of electricity. Essentially, this means the price is set by the authorities and not based upon the current market price for electricity.
Le Tarif Bleu
There are three price options to choose from within “le tarif bleu”: basic, off-peak, and tempo. With the “basic option”, the electricity price per kWh is always the same regardless of the day/time of your energy consumption. With the “off-peak option,” you receive an advantageous 8 hour daily electricity price. This is good for you if you use your appliances during “off-peak” hours (generally 10pm-6am). Finally, with the “tempo option,” the kWh price varies depending upon the day of the week and the time.
If you opt to go with a “le tarif bleu” plan, you can choose to be charged either a fixed monthly price or usage price. If you choose a fixed monthly price, the price you pay each month will be the same; regardless of your usage throughout the year. If you choose a usage price, you are charged based upon the amount of electricity you use each month; as such, you will pay a different price each month. I am charged on the basis of my monthly usage since I know I do not use much electricity. Thus far, the difference between the fixed price and the price based upon usage is 30 euros in a normal month. However, August was hot this year and I used my air conditioner a lot; as such, I expect that bill to be a bit high!
Signing Up for Gas or Electricity
Due to the fact I was obtaining service during confinement, I was actually able to sign up via their chat function. However, signing up via chat is not something that is normally available and I was unable to find a link allowing me to sign up via chat in preparing for this post. Please note, there is a chat and/or video service available for those that are deaf and/or hard of hearing.
To prepare, make sure you have your RIB (see my post on setting up a bank account here) ready as you will need it to sign up.
By Telephone
If you would like to sign up by phone, click this link and you can either call a counselor or schedule a time for a counselor to call you back. There are English speaking counselors available Monday – Saturday from 8am-8pm. Personally, however, I would recommend you sign up online.
By Internet
If you prefer to sign, I recommend you start by downloading Google Chrome. Google Chrome will translate entire websites simply by clicking the little “Google translate” button in the far right of the search bar. If you do not speak any French (or your French is limited) this will be incredibly beneficial to you.
Through Client Portal
There are two different ways you can go about subscribing online. One way to subscribe online is to use this link to create your customer account. Once you have created your customer account, you can subscribe to electricity or natural gas through your customer account. Although I did not utilize this method, I suspect that once you create your client account, you will be prompted to complete the same enrollment process that is described below. As such, I do not think it makes much of a difference how you choose to go about the process.
Outside of the Client Portal
The second way to subscribe online is to use this link. Click the heading titled “un déménagement.” (which means, “a move”) Choose the option to “souscrire en ligne” (which means, “subscribe online”). From the dropdown menu, select the first option “déménager et souscrire un nouveau contrat” (which means, “move and take out a new contract”) and then enter the start date for your new contract.
From there, the system will direct you to identify the type of dwelling either a “maison/house” or “an “appartement/apartment”. And, then the system will request you specify either “gaz/gas” or “electricité/electricity.” After that, you will enter your address (note you will first enter your zip code and then it will prompt you to enter your street, and then finally the number of your building).
The site will then send you to a new page, which will require you to answer a series of questions. The site will ask you the articulate whether you are a renter or owner and whether it is a principal or secondary address. You will also need to provide the square meters for the lodging, the number of occupants, the year the building was built, and the principal heating method for the building. Finally, you will need to answer a variety of questions about the type of appliances in the apartment. I strongly recommend you answer all of these questions completely. They will help the system determine what is the best option for you.
Eventually, you will reach the page with a recommendation, which will likely include a le tarif bleu option and a market price option. Personally, I would recommend you stick with the tarif bleu option unless you have a specific reason for going outside of that.
Once you choose your desired option, the system will direct you on how to finish the process and subscribe to your new energy plan.