If you’re from the UK, the US or Australia or a whole raft of places where electricity is just something that comes into your house and you use – then the French system may surprise you…

Domestic Electricity in France is restricted

When you buy a home in France – it’s likely to have an electricity supply already. Of course it might not, there are plenty of ancient properties that expats love to do up and they might need a supply laid on. And new builds will also need a new supply.

But, let’s just assume, you’ve bought a house and it’s got electricity.

Now, here’s where things might be a bit different from home. The electricity supply into your home is not unlimited. You choose how much electricity you’re going to use and you pay accordingly.

Take me, when I bought my bargain basement cow shed/ farmhouse in France the previous owner’s tariff was for 3KW of electricity per day which I didn’t know. For months it drove me mad when I would turn the kettle on and all the power would die.

Because I had a hot water heater on, lights, the TV and a few everyday items, just one tiny bit over the 3KW limit and bang – the fuse box blew. Eventually a neighbour kindly explained that I just had to ask EDF, the French electricity board, to upgrade my tariff and of course it would cost more money. I did and it was all fine.

Check your electricity tariff

Until that is, the house renovations moved on another stage. An old and decrepit pig sty in the garden became my office. It’s lovely, all my books are there, my computer, phone and heaters. Quite big heaters as it gets cold here in rural northern France.

I moved in with big smiles, turned everything on and bang. It all went off. My husband was walking around scratching his head until it occurred to us that we’re using more electricity with the new heaters. We turned them off and turned everything else on and – it all worked. It was time to call EDF again. We worked out how much electricity we’d need, EDF may advise you to get an electrician to do that, and I phoned for an upgrade. An EDF workman arrived within 5 days at the specified time. Whilst waiting I worked in the cold, bobble hat on, fingerless gloves and 4 jumpers – it wasn’t easy. The EDF man fiddled with the fuse box and it was fixed in minutes. Everything works now.

So, if you’re wondering “why does my electricity keep going off in France” – it might be your tariff needs upgrading!

Read about EDF and the EDF English language helpline number.

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Ah France… the sweet scent of croissants, fine wine, delicious cakes and soft baguettes. A place to enjoy the sun and dine al fresco or laze outdoors drinking in the fresh air… unless you have a fosse septique that lets you down.

A foul fosse problem is a common occurrence for home and gite owners in France and one that can be difficult to deal with and impossible to live with.

How to make your fosse fragrant

It’s not difficult to make sure your fosse doesn’t “hum in the sun” – simply insert a specially designedodour filter, one that can quickly and easily be fitted by you (no specialist help required) and that is highly effective from the word go. The long lasting filters get to grips with pongs immediately and provide constant odour control. Make sure your gite smells sweet: If you’re a gite owner – that will mean happy customers, a whiffy fosse will get you bad reviews (just look on Trip Advisor to get the picture) and you can be sure that will affect future rentals.

How does a McBerns odour filter work?

Many people change their filter on an annual basis, it’s not an expensive item, it’s easy to install and requires no specialist knowledge or power source. A fosse will come with a “vent stack” a pole that sticks out of the ground and allows for odours and gas to escape, it’s a normal part of the process, and it’s this that can cause unpleasantness. An odour filter cartridge is simply fitted inside the stack and it doesn’t matter what size your stack is because inexpensive adapters are available in French plumbing stores if need be.

Choose an ecologically friendly cartridge that can be disposed of in landfill safely.

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Smoke Detector Law France

It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure this is done, so if you’re renting to someone, you need to make sure that a working, compliant smoke detector is installed.  The tenant takes responsibility for maintenance and repair. You might not be covered by insurance if a fire breaks out and you don’t have a detector.

To be compliant basically means your smoke detector must be loud enough to wake sleeping occupants and must continue to function if there is an electrical power outage e.g. it has to run on batteries.

Despite some claims, there is no legal requirement for the smoke detector to be fitted by an electrician and there is no requirement to have the device checked and approved. We’ve heard tales of people receiving visitors from “inspectors” who want to be paid to carry out a check – it’s a scam.

In the case of rented properties, the law says that a landlord is responsible for buying the smoke alarm, or should reimburse the cost of purchase to the tenant. Long-term tenants are responsible for the upkeep of alarms, including renewing batteries. For holiday or short-term rentals, this responsibility falls to the owners not to the holiday makers in the rented accommodation so make sure you, or your rental manager adds to the list of to-dos to conduct a regular precautionary check.

Householders may also wish to inform their insurers that a smoke alarm has been installed. A brief letter, stating your policy number and address, confirming that you have fitted a smoke alarm should be enough to ensure any claims for fire damage are dealt with relatively quickly and easily.  Ask the company to confirm receipt and that they accept the information or if they require more detail to let you know.

Any smoke detector fitted in a home in France must meet the following standards:

Alarms have to meet the EN 14604 European standard and carry the CE logo or the NF EN 14604 equivalent. It must display a power indicator and have a “test” button

The unit should be powered by batteries, with a minimum operating time of one year, or come with an AC-power cable

The unit must emit a visual or audible signal indicating low battery levels. The error signal must be different to the alarm signal

When smoke is detected, the unit must emit an audible alarm of at least 85dB audible at a distance of three metres

The following information must be indelibly marked on the unit: the brand name, address of the manufacturer or supplier number, date of the standard that the detector complies with, manufacturing date or batch number and type of battery to use

The unit should be supplied with instructions for installation, maintenance and control of the sensor and the model certificate that the occupant must provide an insurer in case of a claim for damage caused by fire.

Beware salesmen who call at the door claiming to be registered sellers of smoke detectors, there is no such thing as an “official” door to door sales man for these goods.

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All diagnostics/reports are carried out by independent survey technicians with appropriate certificates of competence.   The technician will carry out a visual inspection as to the safety of your electrical installation, for which there are 6 key points as follows:

1. Presence of a main RCD/Isolator. There MUST be a main switch, which can turn off the complete electrical installation
2. Main RCDs designed for earth protection.
3. MCBs designed to protect the cables that supply power to the individual circuits which are correctly designated for the load of the circuit.
4. Bonding, earths which are bonded to pipe work in bathrooms and showers where presence of water increases the chance of electric shock.
5. Highlight equipment that is out of date and unsuitable for use or risk of direct contact [exposed cables]
6. Mechanical protection; missing joint box lids, trunking covers and worn cables.

The electrical report remains valid for three years and must be included with the sale of agreement or the deed of sale.

From a seller’s point of view it may be worth considering remedial action before committing to the report/sale process.  A diagnostic technician undertaking a review for a property sale report will only be carrying out a visual inspection, they cannot see any hidden error or faults. This could be a good time to consult with a competent and qualified electrician to assess the state of your electrics.

Once the diagnostic review is completed, if there are any issues identified or recommendations for action – it may be worth your while to get them remedied so that those issues don’t become a buyer’s tool for negotiating the price of your house the wrong way.

By Paul Wilkins, Electricien Anglais En France

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When you undertake your search for your dream home in France, it is likely that the last thing on your mind will be what sort of state the electrics are in. Fortunately, as part of the French house buying process, sellers are required to have carried out a number of diagnostic reports to include “etat de l’installation intérieure d’électricricité” or – state of domestic electrical installation. The purpose of the electrical diagnostic report is to assess the safety of the electrical system, particularly where installations are over 15 years old. When you look at older, more traditional French properties you’ll find that many are superbly priced, but when you weigh up the sum total of diagnostic reports, it may explain why the price is so competitive.

Many an expat has purchased a property and applied their own knowledge to electrical installation. Now, I believe and agree this is fine up to a point – but that point is when you start to overload the supply that already comes into your home; or when the work has been carried out by an ‘incompetent’ electrician.

Installing electricity in France

Electrical wiring is completely different in France to the UK. Earth size on twin & earth cable and fuse boards are different. We have seen plenty of properties with relatively good electrics, and others, which are pardon the pun, literally quite shocking.

For example we have witnessed homes where there are English sockets and switches and even the use of English cable and fuseboards.  Many homeowners think that all the while nothing has gone wrong this is fine. However it isn’t legal and may invalidate your insurance policy. Worse yet, when it comes to selling a property with British electrical fitting – you’ll find that this is a major issue. You will not be able to pass muster with the diagnostics test and it will be necessary to fix the problem before any marketing can go ahead.

This is where the knowledge of a qualified and competent electrician pays dividends. It is very important to have an understanding of the load that appliances require and the impact that they have on the various circuits around your home. A good electrician will know where additions to existing circuits can be made and where new circuits need to be installed. I’ve carried out plenty of rectification jobs for sellers who’ve received poor diagnostic reports for their electrics. I’ve also been called in by buyers to report on the state of electrics which has helped them negotiate a reduction in price because of the need to pay for re-wiring etc.

If you’re thinking of buying a house in France, or have a house in France – electrics can seem like the least of your problems at time but don’t be caught out, plan ahead and come out on top.

Paul Wilkins is known as the Electricien Anglais En France. Paul moved to France in August 2012 having been a self-employed fully qualified electrician in the UK. He is registered with the Chambre de Metier, Artisan level electrician.

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A recent discussion with friends and family highlighted that some home owners are not making the most of night rates to heat their water tank. In fact their water tanks are using electricity in the day time at peak rate, which can be quite expensive.

In our rental home, we have a day/night timer which means that our hot water tank is being heated up overnight during the hours of 10.30pm and 6.30am. We take advantage of the “tariff bleu” night rate with Seolis, our electricity provider, which lessens the cost of heating the tank. We have hot water available throughout the day without the worry of heating it at day time electricity costs.

You might want to check your electricity bill to see if a cheaper night rate is applied. If it’s not obvious, just enquire with your service provider.

If you are already taking advantage of a cheaper night rate, is your water tank taking advantage too?  You will need a contacteur jour/nuit or day/night switch and this is located at the fuse board. The diagram below will help you determine if you have this:

The idea of the contacteur jour/nuit  is that when set to auto it will activate during your cheaper night rate, usually 10.30pm to 6.30am.

If you have not got this switch you should contact an electrician to install it for you and start saving some money!

More about electricity tariffs in France

More about electricity in France

Paul Wilkins is known as the Electricien Anglais En France. Paul moved to France in August 2012 having been a self-employed fully qualified electrician in the UK. He is registered with the Chambre de Metier, Artisan level electrician.

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It is not unusual to find that you have a 3 phase electrical supply in a French property. It is common particularly in farms or buildings with industrial use, buildings that might once have been those things but are now residential buildings or where you will need high current.

The majority of new installations [new builds and rewires] are now supplied in single phase.

Single phase supply circuits can be freely assigned, ideally by a qualified electrician and this is the most suitable system for domestic use. Please bear in mind that you need the appropriate kVA supply (a KVA is simply 1,000 volt amps) for the size of your dwelling. You need to work out which is most appropriate for your home by listing the electrical appliances you use and working out how much electricity you will need at maximum capacity. The most common units of supply are: 6kVA,  9kVA and 12kVA.

EDF (Electricité de France) will happily help you to resolve this question (they have an English speaking helpline), or ask your electrician for help. The current supply you choose can only be assigned by EDF. This unit of supply determines the tariff you are charged. 6kVA-9kVA is usual for most houses, the lower the kVA, the lower the standing charge for electricity supply. If you do not choose the correct tariff but go too low, you’ll find appliances tripping out on a daily basis so be wary of trying to save costs by going for a lower kVA supply than you need.

3 phase in simple terms means that you have 3 live terminals and 1 neutral at the meter supplied by EDF and the fuse board is a lot bigger. It also means that you will also pay a high standing charge for your electricity since the supply enters at a higher kVA i.e. 15kVA. What this actually means is that there are 3 lots of 5kVA [25A] on each phase.

You need to ensure that the current that is drawn must be balanced on each phase as overloading on one phase will potentially cause nuisance tripping. High voltage items like cookers that are installed on a 3 phase system need to be installed correctly for 3 phase usage.

If you have 3 phase electricity and want to have this changed to single phase – call EDF, they will arrange for the system to be reviewed and amended. Your electricity bill will confirm what tariff you are on or give EDF a call.

Details for calling EDF in each region or their English speaking helpline.

Paul Wilkins is known as the Electricien Anglais En France. Paul moved to France in August 2012 having been a self-employed fully qualified electrician in the UK. He is registered with the Chambre de Metier, Artisan level electrician.

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Donna and Dave Faulkner bought a rundown old French farmhouse in Deux-Sevres. Giving up a comfortable life style and jobs in the UK, they’ve never been deterred by any of the major renovation jobs that making this old house warm, dry and comfortable have required. With Dave working full time in France, Donna has had to take on the responsibility of builder and decorator and learn a whole new set of skills to bring their property up to date.

One of the bigger jobs that needed to be done was dealing with the fosse septique, the septic tank systems that are so prevalent in rural France. Donna looked at all the alternatives and decided to install a microstation, here she tells us what that entailed…

This house has never had anything in the way of waste drainage and we have been coping with a compost toilet for a long time and needed it to change!

Here in La Belle France not many places actually have mains drainage, it’s a huge country and although the Government have a plan to roll out mains pipes and connections across the country – it will take time and us rural lot will probably be some of the last on the list to get it.

Traditionally most houses have a septic tank (fosse septique) which includes a filtration system for the water that comes from the house. The waste water is usually filtered over a bed of gravel and sand and can take up quite a lot of your garden or land space. After a while (usually not more than 10 years) the sand can become saturated and contaminated and needs changing which is a big job and costly. Also any land that has had a fosse drainage bed on cannot be built on in the future.

Laws have changed in the last 2 years which mean that the requirements to pass inspection by SPANC (great name) have got harder. SPANC is the Service Public d’Assainissement Non Collectiff and they are the local government agency responsible for:

Advise and assist individuals in the development of their sewerage system
Control of sewerage facilities

Because of the size and future contamination issues with fosses and not to mention the cost being higher than other types of system, France has at last approved the use of Microstations as a way of treating sewage and waste water without having the need for any filtration bed.

The local companies which are contracted to undertake all of the work for SPANC are actively trying to get more households to take up the use of microstations instead of fosse septiques in our local area.

How microstations work

All of the household waste water and sewage goes into the microstation which is usually made up of three or more internal compartments, depending on the size of property and how many people are living there.

Each compartment does a different part of the waste treatment and what comes out at the end is basically clean water that can be run off into a water course or field – not that I’d want to try and use the water for anything.

There are different options available according to what region you live in – you can check with your local town hall or SPANC office for details. I have to say for ease of comprehension and because we had some friends who used the same contractor, we did use an English speaking guy for the work.  However he had brilliant French and sorted out all the paperwork and registration of our microstation with SVL (SPANC sub contractors). This being France you can be sure there is plenty of paperwork needed and checks to be made.

Fitting a microstation in France

Before any work could commence, we had to have SVL come round and do an inspection of the land and see that the area that we had selected was suitable for the microstation. They check where the outlet pipe is going to go – it mustn’t go into a still water area i.e. a pond but into moving water or draining over a field. They also check for proximity to other houses and neighbouring boundaries and all sorts – you have to get their approval to the siting of the mircrostation before you begin. Make sure that your contractor knows the rules as ours did.

I must say it looks a bit like a battle ground in the garden. The land has been generally trashed but that was to be expected when a huge great hole gets dug.After the unit was put in, it was left open before it could be backfilled, because we had to wait for SVL to come back and inspect it and make sure that everything was ok. As we previously had a compost toilet, they opened a dossier on the house and have put it on record so in future when inspections are due we will be included. These two short visits by SVL added up to €338, not a bad hourly rate if you can get it.

The microstation needs electric to run but will cost less than €50 a year. I can cope with that. It meant we had to run a small trench to take the electric wiring. The trench doesn’t need to be deep – just deep enough to take the outlet pipe and also the electric wiring. The electrics weren’t part of the quote for installation so we needed to add that cost on. It totalled about €70 and the company that we bought the microstation from will do the connecting to the mains for us.

The finished product is all in place now and we need to rake the ground over and sow grass seed to improve the very messy area. Parts of the installation are above ground. These pipes etc. will always be above ground as they need to be able to be inspected on a regular basis by SVL. We’ve decided to disguise the installation by creating a false wooden well over the bits sticking out and a plant pot or two over the inspection portal. It’s not pretty – but for something that is essential like this we can work around it.

We placed the installation at the end of the house in an area we never use, so it won’t cause us a problem.

Costs of fitting a micro station in France

We paid €4363 for our microstation.

Installation cost us around €1600 and there were additional costs for governmental surveys (€358), pipes and electrics.

The installation contractor arranged all the official surveys – the first was 10 days before installation, the second visit was on the day installation was completed.

The total cost was around €7000 and the job took 2 days plus longer for the company to wire up the microstation to the electric power supply (included in the cost).

October 2013

SPANC website 

Fosse Septique rules and regulations in France

By Donna Faulkner, expat in France

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The majority of France’s electricity is generated by nuclear power; how you use it might be considerably different in France from your home country. You, the consumer, choose the amount of kilowatts you want to have available daily in your home and pay the appropriate tariff – the more kilowatts the higher the cost plus the cost of usage.

You need to bear in mind that rural communities may suffer from power cuts from time to time as storms can bring down trees – which fall on the overhead cable that are strung across the country.

More on Electricity in France

Gas supplies are laid on in cities and towns but in rural areas it is still common to buy gas in bottles; more on Gas in France

Water costs will vary from department to department and will be lower if you don’t have access to mains sewage. Many rural areas are still dependent on the fosse septique system of waste (septic tank) although there is a real push to upgrade ongoing across France.

Find out more about fosse septiques and the stringent regulations for installing and maintain them.

La Poste is France’s state post office service – their post boxes are easily recognisable post boxes thanks to their distinct bright yellow colour and there are post offices in most towns. Find out what they offer with our helpful guides.

Heating is very important for your home – especially if you live in a rural or isolated area.  That wood fire that  seems romantic and welcoming in the summer or when you’re visiting for weekends and holidays isn’t quite such fun when you have to live with chopping wood and keeping the fire fed. Many expats find that the cost of oil or gas heating is quite expensive in France and may use a combination of central heating and wood fire heating. If you are able to insulate your home better at the renovation or restoration stage it will pay huge dividends in terms of cost and energy savings.

The post Utilities in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

EDF, Electricité de france are the main supplier for electricity in France.

EDF Bleu Ciel advises that they can offer two types of tariffs:

1. Tarif Bleu whose prices are set by the authorities
2. Mon Contrat Electricité whose prices are freely set by EDF

For the Tarif Bleu offer, you have 3 options:

• Option Base (flat Rate)
• Option Heures Pleines / Heures Creuses (peak and reduced off peak)
• Option Tempo (variable rate)

For the Mon Contrat Electricité offer, there are two options:

• Option Base
• Option Heures Pleines / Heures Creuses

For up-to-date information on the cost of each tariff visit the dedicated page on the EDF website.

Flat Rate – Option Base

EDF advises “The Tarif Bleue option will suit you especially if you have few appliances and if you want to eat at any time without worrying about the time, day or year”. This is basically a fixed rate energy tariff.

Off Peak – Heures Pleines/Heures Creuses

EDF advises “The Heures Pleines option will suit you especially if you want to take advantage of price per kWh at the most advantageous to the day (ie 8 hours daily peak)”. Basically if you have a night-storage electric water heater, or storage radiators, then you would be best to choose this option, which provides off peak electricity rates to heat your appliances. See peak and off-peak rates on the EDF website.

Tempo

This tariff is a bit more complicated to get to grips with.   Most of  us are used to simply switching things on and getting a bill without thinking about whether it costs more to switch on today than it did  yesterday. With this tariff, you’ll pay less for your electricity on good days (blue days) and more (much more) on bad days (red days) for instance when it’s very cold and the pull on the grid is high. You can get a meter which will clearly indicate what sort of day it is in terms of paying for your energy or you can check this page on EDF’s website 

On the subject of Tempo EDF advises “This option will suit you if you plan to use your devices according to the colour of the day, and it is reserved for individuals who hold a minimum subscription of 9 kVA”.

As we said before, if you’re in any doubt about what tariff suits you, and what level of Electric energy intake you need, ask for a free assessment of your requirements by EDF called a Conseil Tarifaire, either through the English speaking helpline or your local EDF shop or office.

Meter Readings in France

Electricity meter readings are conducted every six months and though you can arrange your own meter reading on occasion, or you may be left a card asking you to write in the meter reading or telephone it through, however EDF insist on checking it themselves once a year.

Electricity Bills in France

There are two elements to your bill (facture). 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% on the standing charge and 19.5% on the consumption. Local taxes (taxe commune/département) are added at around 12%, before TVA.

You can pay your bills online, by mail (cheque), by phone (bank card),  or in cash at your EDF local shop. The online payment form is in French. If you want to pay by direct debit you will need to ask your French bank for a RIB  which you send to EDF. If you need help finding your local EDF shop or sorting out the best way to pay – ring the helpful EDF English speaking helpline: More on Electricity in France

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