Illustration : RE.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 marks the activation of the first Tempo Red Day of the winter season. The kilowatt-hour rate will therefore be quadrupled during peak hours, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. This only concerns the approximately 500,000 households having subscribed to this option of EDF's regulated tariff. This contract, designed to encourage the postponement of electricity consumption on busy days for the network, is based on differentiated pricing according to time slots and seasons.
The Tempo option, offered by EDF's regulated electricity sales tariff (TRVe), is a contract whose electricity price varies according to three types of days: blue, white and red, spread over the 365 days of the year, but also according to peak hours (from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and off-peak hours (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
???? Blue days (300 per year) : the most advantageous, with a very reduced rate, both during peak and off-peak hours. These days mainly correspond to periods of low demand, such as summer or off-season weekends.
⚪ White days (43 per year) : intermediate, with a slightly higher cost.
???? Red days (22 per year) : the most expensive of the year during peak hours, activated between November 1 and March 31, generally during peak consumption. They can only be placed during the week (Monday to Friday), never on weekends and public holidays, but can be consecutive. Thus, it happens that five days in a row are placed in “red”.
Red days, like the one planned for tomorrow, are announced the day before at 6 a.m., giving subscribers time to organize themselves. These days are distinguished by a particularly high rate during peak hours only, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., to encourage consumers to reduce and/or shift their electricity use to this time slot. To be alerted of red days, there are smartphone applications, but also dedicated devices.
Here are the prices in detail ⬇️
What are red days for?
Red days relax the management of the electricity network during the cold season, the most tense. By encouraging Tempo subscribers to reduce and/or shift their consumption during periods of high demand, the network seeks to limit production from gas, fuel oil and coal thermal power plants, but also possible imports from neighboring countries. Red days can also correspond to a period of low renewable electricity production.
With a total of 22 red days that can be activated per season, EDF reserves these days for the most sensitive periods, generally in the event of intense cold or significant consumption peaks.
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Advantages and disadvantages of the Tempo option
The Tempo option is attractive for its particularly low prices during blue and white days (82% of the time), but it is not suitable for all homes, particularly those heated by traditional electric radiators.
Benefits :
- Significant savings for households able to adjust their consumption depending on the day.
- An ecological contribution by limiting the use of fossil fuel power plants during peaks in demand and by favoring times when renewable production is more important.
Disadvantages :
- Great discipline required: red days require you to keep informed of their activation in order to adapt your electricity consumption.
- Very high prices in the event of overconsumption or forgetting, during red days.
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How to get organized on a red day?
For subscribers to the Tempo option, it is essential to reduce consumption as much as possible during peak hours on red days, for example:
- Postpone the use of energy-intensive equipment: washing machines, dryers, or dishwashers can wait until off-peak hours or on a blue day.
- Optimize heating: turn off the electric heating or reduce the set temperature well below the recommended 19°C. Dwellings equipped with another method of heating (wood, gas, oil) may favor it during peak hours.
- Avoid cooking meals requiring long cooking times, if the accommodation is equipped with electric hobs and ovens. However, boiling water (pasta, rice) or reheating a dish will not have a significant impact, as these actions do not consume much energy.
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