To reduce their energy bill, some French people opt for a mediator. The latter can help you assert your rights.
In France, questions relating to energy bills concern many French people. This is why mediators exist.
Could the energy bill drop in 2024?
Among the main concerns of the French for two years, we can cite the energy bill. It must be said that the economic crisis has damaged the wallet many homes.
The most recent increase in electricity rates was the subject of a set up on February 1, 2024. This increase affected French consumers with an increase of 8.6% for those in the low option, of 9.8% for those in peak hours option/off-peak hours.
And more than 10% for customers of the EJP and Tempo offers, which reduces their attraction. Individuals and professionals also say they are concerned by this increase.
According to government data, the impact of this increase is therefore intended to be significant for all types of consumers. A tenant of a studio gas heated sees your electricity bill increases by €54 per year, for example.
A tenant of a studio heated by electricity sees its bill increase by €100 per year (annual consumption of 4,200 kWh). A family of four living in an 80 m² gas-heated apartment sees their bill increase by €91 per year, etc.
An inevitable increase in electricity
Since February 1, 2024, the price of electricity has increased from €0.2273 to €0.2516 optional low. This leads to an increase of €187 on the annual bill for a household consuming 7,700 kWh per year.
This increase in electricity prices is defined as a trend observed since 2020. In four years, the electricity bill saw its price increase from €1,312 to €208.9, an increase of 59%.
The increases have therefore increased since 2022, with the crisis on energy markets. Over the last two years, the price of electricity has increased by 41%.
Thus, all households say they are affected by this recent increase prices. Those subscribing to EDF’s Blue Tariff, including 10.6 million households in the base option, 9.3 million in the off-peak option, 500,000 in the Tempo offer and 400,000 in the EJP offer.
So, to reduce the bill, some French people turn to a mediator to assert their rights. And the results are more than up to par.
A mediator to lower the energy bill
In 2022, 30,558 applications were submitted to the national mediator Energy. Among them, 8,567 were considered admissible for mediation.
This independent body, established in December 2006, therefore aims to resolve disputes between companies in the energy sector and their customers. Since its creation, this service has continued to gain popularity among the French.
The latter is also intended to be open to associations and co-owners’ unions. and microenterprises with fewer than ten employees. And achieving an annual turnover of less than 2 million euros.
According to mediator statistics national energyrelayed by RMC, 29% of disputes handled in 2022 concerned disputes relating to energy bill levels.
The customer must first send a written complaint to its energy supplier. If there is no response within two months, he can then contact the mediator.
The dispute is declared online, on the official website. of the national mediator, via a form. To be considered admissible, the request must have been submitted to an attempt at an amicable settlement with the supplier.
Once the file is received, the national mediator sends an acknowledgment of receipt to subscriber. In case of inadmissibility, an explanation is provided.
If the request is accepted, a project manager examines carefully the file. The mediator then proposes an amicable agreement, which can be accepted or refused. In the event of disagreement, the customer has the option of taking legal action.
B.L.
Hi, I’m Ruben, the new web editor at Tuxboard.com. Freshly graduated from a journalism school in Paris, I am passionate about media news, television shows and sociology. I am enthusiastic about sharing with you my articles and my analysis of the news on Tuxboard.
