Summary

Important information

Proposed by

Target audience

AudienceFrench citizens, Statutory refugees, Beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, Stateless people, Beneficiaries of temporary protection

Level of FrenchLiteracy, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2

AgeMore than 18 years

Price

Free of charge

Requirements

Have a bank account

Where is it?

All over France

Procedures

LogementOpen a gas or electricity contract

Open a gas or electricity contract

Updated on il y a 7 mois

What is it?

Having a contract is necessary to be able to use the electricity or gas in your accommodation.

The contract allows:

to connect your home to the electricity or gas network,
to set up payment for your use of electricity or gas.

With each move, it is necessary to sign a new contract. You must then stop ("terminate") your previous contract and choose a new one.

Several companies offer contracts. They are called “providers”. They have different offers for electricity, gas or both.

Sometimes gas heating is “collective”. In this case, you pay the gas in the housing charges. It is therefore not useful to have a gas contract in your name.

Your electricity or gas consumption is measured by a “meter” installed in your home.

To sign a contract, the steps are as follows:

choose a supplier and an offer,
contact the supplier to put the electricity or gas meter in your name, inform them that you want to open a contract,
sign the contract sent by the supplier and make an appointment for connection or commissioning (if necessary).

How to do it?

To choose an offer from a supplier, you can consult the official website of the energy mediator: https://www.energie-info.fr/

This site offers you to compare offers in order to find the cheapest.

The bill has 2 parts:

a fixed subscription: its price depends on the power,
your electricity or gas consumption: its price depends on the quantity consumed.

In the comparison of offers, you must then enter the power and the estimated consumption.

If you do not know how much power you need or your consumption, the site offers you to carry out a simulation. To do this, you will need to provide various information about your accommodation (its size, its equipment).

The comparator then shows you the existing offers with a cost estimate and details of how the contracts work.

The site may ask you if you have a “Linky meter” for electricity or “Gazpar meter” for gas. These are new meters that automatically transmit information about your consumption. If your electricity meter is green, it is a “Linky meter”. If your gas meter is yellow, it is a “Gazpar meter”.

You can choose the same supplier for gas and electricity or two different suppliers.

Some offers allow you to choose between “base” or “peak hours / off-peak hours”:
- base: the price of the electricity or gas you consume remains constant throughout the day.
- peak hours / off-peak hours: the price depends on the hour of consumption. In the morning and in the evening the price is higher. In the middle of the night it is cheaper.

You can contact the provider you have chosen by telephone or the internet.

Here is the information you need to prepare:

the exact address of the accommodation, the floor and the door number
if you have it: the name of the previous occupant or the meter number (you can ask the owner of the accommodation),
the date on which you wish to start
If your home has never been connected to the gas or electricity network, an intervention by a technician is necessary. The supplier will give you an appointment. You will have to pay for this intervention.
If your meter has been “cut off” because the accommodation was empty before your arrival, the intervention of a technician is necessary. The supplier will give you an appointment. You will have to pay for this intervention.
If your meter is in service, there will be nothing more to do. Setting up the new contract is free.

If you have an appointment with a technician for connection or commissioning, you must be present. Otherwise, the technician will not be able to intervene and you will have to pay for his trip.

What happens next?

Your supplier will regularly send you bills (by email or by post) that you will have to pay (by bank transfer, direct debit from your account or bank card).

To avoid paying too much, you can monitor your consumption on the meter, on your bills and often on your supplier's website.

It should be noted that there is assistance with the payment of housing energy bills. An "energy voucher" is awarded according to certain conditions of resources. If you are eligible, you will automatically receive your energy voucher, in your name, by post to your home (it is sent to you at the last address you gave to the tax authorities). You can use this official online simulator to find out if you are eligible for this aid.

The energy mediator's website (https://www.energie-info.fr/) offers practical sheets on contracts and invoices, on energy savings and on the steps to take in the event of a problem with your electricity or gas supplier.

Your electricity bill usually includes a phone number to contact to manage your contract and another to contact in the event of a breakdown.

In the event of a power or gas failure, you can already check whether the problem only concerns your home or the whole building or district.

If you want to change provider, just contact the new provider. It is he who will stop your contract with the previous supplier.

Please note that companies contact people by phone, internet or by ringing their doorbell to sell them new electricity or gas contracts. Always take the time to compare before signing a new contract.

Your contract is automatically renewed each year. You don't have to take any particular action.

You can terminate your contract at any time of the year. Unlike insurance contracts, electricity or gas contracts are non-binding!

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Thank the contributors who wrote and translated it for you!

Open a gas or electricity contract

1Choose a supplier and an offer

2Contact the supplier

Pay your gas or electricity bill

Automatic renewal every year