Utility Services: Electricity, Gas & Water in France

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Utility Services: Electricity, Gas & Water in France

France has a combination of state owned and private utilities, with private electricity and gas being run by the state and commercial supply provided by private organisations.

Read further for information about setting up utilities in your household - elecricity, gas, water, telephone and Internet - and your expectations from the process.

Electricity Supply

Electricity in France is generally provided by EDF (Electricité de France), which is state owned, although households are free to choose their own electricity supplier.

Details on installing electricity or moving home relevant to residential customers (particuliers) and businesses (professionels) are available in French on the EDF website.

EDF has a call centre open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to report service breakdowns. A 'within two hours' emergency service is available by subscription to business customers.

There is also an English-language information service by telephone for foreigners in France.

• EDF English-language Information
  To find an English-speaking helpline by region: Click here
  
• To find a local office see the ErDF website: Click here

Note: EDF are responsible for the supply of electricity, while ErDF is a subsidiary of EDF, responsible for the distribution.

Getting Connected

New tenants or property owners should contact EDF as soon as they move into the property, making sure that a meter reading is taken that day, to avoid the possibility of paying for the previous tenants electricity. However, new tenants/owners have up to three weeks to contact EDF after moving in to transfer the contract into their name. If the new tenants/owners have not contacted EDF within three weeks, it is likely that the electricity supply will be cut off and a re-connection fee charged.

EDF service can be established or transferred by telephone. The customer must supply their full name, address and bank account details (even if they choose to pay future bills by cheque). A re-connection fee is only charged if the supply has been cut off, a bill for this is sent approximately two weeks later.

• EDF
  Tel: 0810 060 333 / 09 69 39 44 16 / 39 29

Customers can choose between a number of different proposed tariffs, which depend on their usage, number of people in the dwelling and type of heating.

Electricity bills are sent every two months and are based on an estimation of usage. If paying by cheque or direct debit, the bill must be paid within 15 days. Customers may also choose to pay by direct debit on a monthly basis, over a period of ten months. At the end of the ten months, the customer either receives a bill for extra consumption or receives a credit on their EDF account. Meters are read every six months.

To Disconnect

Before moving house, tenants or owners should contact EDF at least 48 hours before vacating the property. If moving to another home, contact EDF on the day of the move, providing them with a meter reading of the old and the new property to transfer the electricity contract.

Renewable Electricity

Over recent years a number of electricity companies using renewable energy have been set up in France. EDF has its own subsidiary company, called EDF Energies Nouvelles.

Alternatively there are a number of other companies offering services:

• Direct energie
• Planete Oui
• Poweo

Gas in France

It is still largely only possible to have mains gas in properties in towns and cities. The supplier is GDF (Gaz de France), which is an arm of EDF.

To open an account, or to connect to GDF, contact the supplier by telephone on the day of the move or as soon as possible afterwards. If a property is not connected but is situated in a town where there is a mains gas supply, it can be easily arranged.

• GDF
  Tel: 09 69 32 43 24

The customer needs to supply the most recent meter reading, their full name, address and bank account details (even if they choose to pay future bills by cheque). A fee (frais d'accès) is charged to new customers who receive a bill approximately two weeks later.

To cancel a contract with GDF when moving, contact them by telephone on the day of the move with the latest meter reading. However, the cancellation of the contract may only come into effect once the new tenants or owners have contacted them to put the contract into their own name. If this is not done within two to three weeks, then the gas supply is cut off.

In an Emergency

• GDF (gas) Emergencies
  Tel: 0800 473 333

Properties in Rural Areas

If a property is in a rural area or village it is not generally possible to connect to the gas mains. In this situation, tenants or property owners can buy bottles of propane or butane gas from most supermarkets and petrol stations. For larger properties or homes heated by gas central heating, a tank can be hired from suppliers such as Total and Antargaz, who deliver.

Water in France

The main national suppliers of domestic water in France are Veolia, formerly Générale des Eaux and Lyonnaise des Eaux.

Not all communes are serviced by these suppliers; new owners or tenants should contact the local Mairie (town hall) to find out contact details of their local supplier if they are unsure.

To get connected, contact the water supplier on the day of the move. Previous owners or tenants can generally provide contact details of their supplier. In most cases, name, address, and bank account details are sufficient to transfer or to set up a new contract.

Water bills are normally paid twice a year. Customers pay for the amount of water consumed, which is calculated by reading the meter located close to the mains valve.

Payment can be made by direct debit, cheque or cash.

In an Emergency

Contact the local water supplier, the number for which will be on the bill. If there is no bill to hand, contact the main switchboard telephone number of the supplier or the local Mairie if in doubt.