Energy in France
Electricity (électricité) and gas (gaz) are among the first contracts you open in France. You pick one supplier, give your meter number, and power is usually on within 24 hours with a Linky meter. Every household contract is sans engagement: no exit fee, no notice, and switching never cuts your supply. The regulated Tarif Bleu costs 20.01 c€/kWh plus €190.32 a year, and the official comparator of the Médiateur national de l'énergie lists every offer. The guides below cover setup, suppliers, reviews and prices.
Jules
Founder, How to France, the complete guide for living or visiting France
Updated: October 2026 | Found helpful by 7 others
How Does the French Energy Market Work?
The French electricity and gas market has been open to competition since 2007, so every household chooses its supplier (fournisseur). The wires and pipes belong to separate grid operators: Enedis for electricity across about 95% of France, about 150 local utilities (ELD) in places such as Strasbourg, Grenoble and Metz, and GRDF for about 96% of gas connections. Your supplier only sells the energy and bills you.
The CRE regulates the market. The regulated electricity tariff, the Tarif Bleu, still exists: 20.01 c€/kWh plus €190.32 a year on a 6 kVA meter since 1 August 2026. The regulated gas tariff was abolished on 1 July 2023; the CRE publishes a monthly benchmark instead, 14.557 c€/kWh for gas heating in October 2026. Inertia is strong: 55.2% of homes were still on the Tarif Bleu in Q1 2026, although the best market offers cost 10% to 13% less. Consumer rules are on service-public.fr.
How Do You Set Up Electricity and Gas?
Opening a Contract
Opening a contract takes 5 to 10 minutes online. You give the supplier the meter reference (the 14-digit PDL/PRM for electricity, the PCE for gas), your move-in date and an IBAN. The supplier handles the grid operator; you never register with Enedis or GRDF yourself. With a Linky meter, activation is remote and usually done within 24 hours for a regulated fee of about €11 to €14.
Regulated vs. Market Offers
You can pick the Tarif Bleu or a market offer (offre de marché). Fixed offers freeze the kWh before tax for one to three years; indexed offers track the Tarif Bleu at a discount. In October 2026, the lowest kWh price was Primeo's 16.74 c€, frozen to 31 December 2027.
Switching Suppliers
Switching is free and never cuts your supply. The new supplier closes your old contract for you, and every household contract is sans engagement, even a 3-year fixed offer. You can return to the Tarif Bleu at any time.
What Changed in the French Energy Market in 2026?
Vattenfall France left household retail in July 2026, and its roughly 175,000 customers moved automatically to Alterna Ă©nergie, a cooperative of about 50 local utilities. Wekiwi was absorbed by Plenitude (Eni) on 2 June 2026. The ARENH scheme, which gave suppliers cheap nuclear power, ended on 31 December 2025, and small web-only suppliers raised prices or folded.
Bills moved too. The Tarif Bleu rose about 3% on 1 August 2026, driven by a 3.04% rise in the TURPE network charge. TVA on the standing charge has been 20% since 1 August 2025, up from 5.5%. Gas prices rose about 41% in a year, so fixed gas offers signed now sit below the CRE benchmark. The chèque énergie, worth €48 to €277 a year, still works with every supplier.
What Should Expats Know About Energy in France?
Newcomers should open their contract a few days before moving in, because a home is never switched to your name automatically. Most supplier sites and call centres work in French only; ekWateuris the one supplier where customers report English-speaking agents. EDF's direct debit expects a French or EU bank account, so open your account first if you can.
Compare on the official comparator of the MĂ©diateur national de l'Ă©nergie, which carries no advertising and lists every offer. Commercial sites such as Selectra and JeChange rank paying partners only. Ask for billing on real Linky readings rather than estimates: the most common complaint in 2026 reviews is a catch-up bill after months of estimated instalments.