In terms of energy supplier, and in particular electricity, you have the choice between many companies with which you can subscribe. The best known electricity suppliers are EDF and Engie, the ones often referred to as incumbent suppliers. But, depending in particular on the municipality where you live, many companies can provide you with the same service. Because, yes, it is possible to change electricity supplier very easily. We explain the procedures and conditions for making such a change.
Today, changing electricity supplier is a very simple process. First, you should know that, for individuals, this process is completely free. Neither the company where you have your current electricity contract nor the one to which you decide to migrate can claim costs from you for this change.
You are completely free to leave your current electricity supplier at any time without fear of penalties or exceptional charges. If you decide to change electricity supplier, you can take over a contract with a company you left before.
You can also change electricity supplier as many times as you want and at any time since there is no minimum commitment period when you sign an electricity contract. In addition, if you also consume gas, you can very well choose two different companies, one for electricity, the other for gas supply, or the same supplier.
Before deciding to take steps to change electricity supplier, you must carefully compare the offers of the various companies which are now very numerous on the French market. The best-known electricity suppliers are of course EDF and Engie, but there are a myriad of them, from Enercoop to Eni, including TotalEnergies, and many others.
To find out about all the electricity suppliers and find your way among all the offers available on the energy market, the website of the independent consumer association UFC-QueChoisir offers an online comparison of electricity and gas offers useful. The national energy mediator (energie-info.fr), an independent public institution, also offers an online service which indicates, depending on your municipality of residence, in particular the companies that can offer you an electricity contract.
Once your new electricity supplier has been chosen according to your own criteria (price, 100% renewable electricity, etc.), you must obviously contact them and sign a contract with them. Please note:if you have entered into a contract with an electricity supplier during door-to-door sales or by telephone, you have a withdrawal period of 14 days from the date of signing your new contract.
Once your new contract has been signed, switching electricity supplier is then easy, following the steps detailed below.
First, you must provide your new electricity supplier with your Delivery Point (PDL) or Measurement Reference Point (PRM) number, which designate the points of arrival of your electricity and where your consumption is measured from. of your electricity meter. This is a 14-digit number that you can find on your invoice.
Then you need to agree with your new electricity supply company a date on which you want to switch supplier. It is also advisable, even if it is not an obligation, to note the figures, also called "index", which correspond to your electricity consumption, which appear on your electric meter, and to transmit them to your new electricity supplier. This statement allows your former supplier to establish your cancellation bill, and the new one the first bill for your electricity consumption.
These few simple steps done, you have nothing more to do then. Your current electricity supplier will continue to supply you with electricity until the date of change of supplier that you have chosen, as well as billing you for your consumption. Termination of your old contract is automatic.
You will not suffer any power cut since the continuity of your power supply is in all cases guaranteed by the distribution network manager (GRD) who is responsible for managing the public electricity distribution network, regardless of the supplier. of electricity. GRD, in fact, connects your installation to the network, carries out repairs and reads your meter. This manager guarantees the quality and continuity of the delivery of electricity, but also gas, to your home. With regard to the supply of electricity, ENEDIS and the local distribution companies (ELD) are in charge of these missions.
On the other hand, by changing supplier, you do not need to replace your electricity meter with another, you keep the same one.
