Electricity 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

2.1. Getting a New Electricity Supply

If your property does not currently have an electricity supply you will need to make application for such a supply to EDF (Edenis).

The request for a supply is called a demande de raccordement, which can be made by letter or on-line at Demande de prestation liée au raccordement.

(In a small number of areas the electricity distribution is not provided by EDF, so you should visit the mairie to obtain details of the distributor if in any doubt.)

You will need to supply a copy of the planning permission (or works declaration) location plan, house plan, and details of the amount of power you are seeking.

EDF will send an engineer along to the site to discuss your requirements, following which you will then be supplied with a proposal, called a proposition de raccordement.

If it is necessary to lay new cables or install a pylon you will be charged for this work, although in certain circumstances some or all of the cost is met by the local planning authority. It depends on local policy and whether or not the supply results from a planning consent.

You may well be obliged to arrange for a trench to be dug and the cables laid into the house and onto the domestic meter by your electrician. EDF will not normally provide a supply into a private property beyond 30 metres from the public highway; if the length of the cable run is longer their main meter will be installed on the public highway, from where you will need to arrange for the supply to be connected into the house and your meter.

If the trench goes across the public highway you need to seek the consent of the local mairie or the prefecture for une autorisation de voirie + un arrêté de circulation.

If it is necessary for Enedis to go over other private or public property to lay their supply cables or install the pylon any servitudes necessary for this purpose will be arranged by them. This relates only to the supply to their meter, not your own domestic meter.

If the new supply requires an extension of the network then EDF is permitted six weeks to complete the study and furnish the estimate of works. They may insist that certain works are carried out before they provide the supply.

If no extension of the network is required EDF are required to provide the proposal within 10 days of the request.

Once again, where there is the need for an extension of the existing network, realisation of the works may take as long as three months after receipt of the proposal.

If the capacity of the supply needs to be increased or servitudes need to be arranged this period may be up to six months and possibly longer.

You will be required to pay at least a proportion of the cost before works will be commenced.

2.2. Certificate of Conformity

Before you can be connected to the electricity supply, (called mise en service), you will need to provide EDF with a certificate of conformity attestation de conformité.

This occurs through a regulatory body called CONSUEL, who will need to inspect the property.

The inspection should be requested by your electrician, following completion of the works.

There is a small charge for the inspection by the CONSUEL technician and provision of the certificate of conformity. If you have carried out the work yourself, then you can make the application in your own name.

2.3. Builders Supply

Whether new property or one being renovated, if it does not currently have an electricity supply, you can arrange for a temporary builders supply to be provided by EDF.

This is called alimentation de chantier.

They will offer a supply from the nearest electrical pylon. You will need to supply a meter box (coffret), which you can get from a builders merchant. You will also need to branch up the supply in the meter cupboard, using a local electrician.

EDF do advise that such a supply is normally only available for six months, although in practice they do seem turn a blind eye to this rule.

You can make application on-line at Demande de prestation liée au raccordement.

Next: French Electricity Tariffs

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