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 3rd September 2010
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 Electricity in France Electricity is supplied by EDF (Electricité de France)www.edf.frConnection: Apply to your local EDF office (if you buy through an agent they may do this for you). Make sure you get them to read the meter (releve special). You will need proof of ownership and some other form of ID to set up your account. Power Supply: 220-240v is now pretty much the universal standard in France (as in the UK) therefore most appliances will work fine once you have the right adapters or plugs connected. What makes life more interesting is the fact that you can choose your level of power supply in France! You can upgrade or downgrade between 3KW to 36KW and various levels in between according to the size of your house, the type of heating you use, the number of electrical devices you use, your peak times of consumption etc. The higher your KW rating the higher your standing charge. If you find your power keeps tripping off it is quite likely to be at a time when certain appliances are in use and your supply is insufficient to cope with the demand. Some people are quite happy with this arrangement and are content to keep the lower rating supply, switch off the offending appliance and switch the power back on each time it happens. If this becomes a nuisance it would be a sound move to upgrade - it is worth asking EDF for a free evaluation of your existing connection. Call 0 810 126 126 (local call rate). Did you know: that a survey carried out showing costs in euros per 100 Kwh gave the following information: Fuel 3.81E. Town Gas 4.25E. Gas propane 9.14E and electricity 10.75E ( From the Minister Economics for Finances and Industry April 2003 ) PC and TV protection In many rural areas the power supply can be unstable at times, particularly during thunderstorms, when you may sometimes lose power altogether. You can purchase a number of plug-in accessories which will help protect your TV and PC equipment. Cheapest of these is a surge protector which protects your equipment from power spikes and irregularities which could cause a sudden failure of your appliance. You can buy various forms of these in local DIY stores. More expensive, but a worthwhjile investment, especially if you have valuable data on your PC, is a UPS (uninterruptable power supply), a battery based box which sits between your PC/Modem and your power supply. If the supply fails unexpectedly the battery in the UPS will autmatically keep your machine running and allow you to save your data or carry out a back-up. You can buy these from more specialist PC stores. As a precaution against lightning damage many people also unplug their TV aerial during severe storms. Tariffs There are also various tariffs which offer you choices for reduced rates depending on the times of day and peak days in the year. In this way it may be possible to upgrade your supply but switch to a more economical tariff to avoid greater overall cost. Note that the most power-hungry items are electric heaters, dishwashers, washing machines and water heaters, so if you run an oil/gas/logs household you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you only require a lower KW supply. Meters: Usually located on an external wall, or sometimes down the lane on a pole! It must be read by the EDF at least once a year. In between times, if they are unable to access the meter, you will receive a card asking you to write in the meter reading or telephone it through. Modern meters have a number of useful features allowing you to see your actual live consumption, your consumption to date etc Bills: There are two elements to your bill (facture), which will arrive every two or sometimes three months. Firstly, the standing charge (abonnement), determined by the power supply installed and secondly, the consumption of electricity units. TVA (Value Added Tax) is applied at 20.6 percent on the standing charge and 19.5 percent on the consumption. Local taxes (taxe commune/département) are added at around 12%, before TVA. Payment: By direct debit (prélèvement automatique), based upon estimated usage. Or by settling each bill by cheque or RIB payment. Contact: EDF 2 rue Louis Murat 75384 Paris Tel: +33 1 40 42 22 22 Customer Care Web Site More info (in French) at EDF FAQ Enquiry Tel: 0 810 126 126 Guides to everyday life in France Home Page 
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