2023-05-09 19:02:26
The regulated gas sales tariff was introduced in 1946 by the French State. stock.adobe.com
The contracts of several million French people will end on June 30. What to expect? Le Figaro answers your questions.
This is a change that worries many customers, whose energy bills have already risen sharply in recent months. The end of the regulated gas tariff is scheduled for 1is next July, and those who benefit from it will have to switch to another offer. Why this deletion? Who is concerned and what are the steps to take? Le Figaro answers your questions.
How does the regulated gas tariff work?
Introduced in 1946 by the State, it makes it possible to set the gas sale price according to the purchase costs on the wholesale markets, storage costs, transport costs and taxes. It is also based on the recommendations of the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE). The price changes every month, up or down. In addition to contracts with regulated sales prices, there are also contracts on the market whose prices are set directly by the suppliers, to which the millions of French people concerned will have to turn.
Why does it stop?
If the regulated tariff made it possible to avoid price drifts, its abolition is linked to one of the measures of the Energy-Climate law, adopted in 2019. This refers to a decision of the Council of State, adopted in 2017, which stipulates that the regulated gas sales tariff is contrary to European law. For the organization, it is even a question of “an obstacle to the creation of a competitive gas market“. If it is no longer possible to subscribe to a regulated contract since 2019, customers who have signed a contract before this date have the possibility of keeping it until June 30, 2023.
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Who is affected by this end of regulated tariffs?
The end of regulated gas prices concerns millions of individuals and small condominiums. Indeed, the end had already been introduced at the end of 2020 for professionals, large properties and communities. The limit of 1is July is therefore aimed at the 2.5 million French people – out of the 11 million connected to gas – who have regulated contracts with Engie (ex-GDF) or local suppliers such as Gaz de Bordeaux, Gaz de Grenoble or Electricité de Strasbourg, which also supplies gas.
According to the CRE, 93% of consumers are thus attached to Engie and 7% to local companies. The 2.4 million customers who have subscribed to a contract indexed to regulated sales tariffs with alternative suppliers are also concerned. For those whose contract is not fixed on the regulated tariff or for those who benefit from a fixed price, no impact is to be expected.
How do we know if we are affected?
Over the past three years, five letters have been sent to customers, the last of which arrived in mailboxes in March 2023. You can also contact your supplier to ask him or consult your last gas bill. On Engie, a blue logo “Gas regulated tariff» is affixed at the top left of the invoice.
The blue “Gaz regulated tariff” logo at the top left of an Engie invoice. Engie
What are the solutions for customers?
For the time being, the customers concerned can subscribe to another gas supply contract. It is not necessary to terminate your contract at a regulated rate, it will stop on its own, without causing a gas cut. If nothing is done, these customers willautomatically switch to a new contractat market price from Engie or a local supplier, said this Tuesday morning on Cnews the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. Customers also have the option of changing contracts with the same supplier or other companies, at no additional cost.
In a few days, the CRE will publish “a complete gas reference price which will include a subscription price and a price per kilowatt hourand will be updated monthly. “Today, gas prices are back to normalassured the Minister, it is a measure that is more technical than anything else».
However, beware of dishonest players who could take advantage of this change to scam consumers, in particular by offering an attractive price before increasing it a few weeks later. It is therefore essential to read all the lines of your new contract. To assess supplier contracts, you have the option of using a comparator such as that of the Energy Ombudsman (energie-info.fr/comparateurs-et-outils).
Will the price shield on gas be removed?
Agnès Pannier-Runacher repeated it this Tuesday morning, the “tariff shield on gas will be extended until the end of the year and the tariff shield on electricity until the end of 2024“. They are thus supposed to control energy price increases and abuses by certain suppliers, without however being able to freeze tariffs.
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