How can you reduce your electricity bill this winter?

Choose the most suitable electricity subscription

Flexible hours? Choose off-peak/peak hours with EDF, Engie, Eni..

If you have flexible hours and you don't want to run a machine late into the evening, neither you nor your neighbours mind, then the off-peak/peak option from EDF (or an alternative supplier) is certainly the most suitable for you. This option offers you more advantageous rates per kWh during certain 8-hour periods per day (set by Enedis, which vary from one commune to another and correspond to the times when demand is lowest). Designed to regulate electricity consumption, this option will allow you to make significant savings by switching on your most energy-hungry appliances at late or very early hours!

Be careful, though: subscribing to this option will mean paying a higher rate for your peak-time consumption, which is not advisable if you mainly use your electrical appliances during peak hours. On the other hand, this option is particularly recommended if you have electric heating that you use mainly during off-peak hours.

Alternatively, you can take out the Tempo option. Only offered by EDF, this option varies the price per kWh according to the day and time of day (the days with the highest rate can only be in winter).

Not all suppliers offer the same rates for the same options. Rather than going to the trouble of comparing all the tariff options in detail, you can simply look for a cheaper supplier than the one you currently have your subscription with.

How much will I have to pay Enedis (formerly ERDF) to change supplier?

Enedis (ex-ERDF) rates only apply to the commissioning of your meter. There are two possible scenarios when changing supplier:

If you're moving house to switch to another supplier: you'll have to pay your new supplier for the costs of commissioning,

you change supplier while staying at the same address: you will not be charged any connection fees. Changing supplier is free, with no technical intervention and no power cuts. All you have to pay is your balance with your previous supplier.

Which fireplace will work best in your home?

The closed hearth fireplace, the best heating efficiency

If you live in a house, a fireplace is the most user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing way to heat your home. It can also be the least expensive if you choose a closed hearth fireplace: a real heating medium, it heats ten times more than an open hearth fireplace, while consuming four times less wood. And fuel is particularly scarce in France. What's more, as this article explains, it is also much less harmful to the environment and your health than an open fireplace, because the fact that it is closed limits its emissions of fine particles.

Heating your home with your fireplace or wood-burning stove is particularly cost-effective if you have signed up to EDF's Tempo option. For safety reasons, however, remember to maintain your chimney scrupulously by cleaning and sweeping it regularly. Otherwise, the risk of fire can be extremely high.

If you live in a flat: opt for an ethanol fireplace

Do you live in a flat, or don't want to have to maintain a fireplace regularly? Ethanol fireplaces are the answer to your problem! They require no special maintenance and no flue. Elegant, their main function is aesthetic, but they do have heating power. Be careful, however, to use them alternately with an electric or gas heater.

To save on your electricity bill this winter, choose your supplier carefully and find out about the different types of fireplaces available!