French ‘super off-peak’ contracts offer up to 60% discount on electricity
Households which can match consumption to special hours can see significant savings
Those who can consume energy during the cheap hours, for example by charging electric cars overnight, will benefit most from the deals
HJBC / Shutterstock
Several energy suppliers in France are now offering ‘super off-peak’ contracts, providing discounts of up to 60% on electricity at certain hours of the day.
By tying off-peak hours to times of the day where electricity production is highest – during the daytime throughout summer, for example – the deals allow consumers to benefit from even cheaper rates than other contracts of this type.
Suppliers to introduce super off-peak contracts include EDF, TotalEnergies, Octopus Energy, and Engie.
French President Emmanuel Macron sees these offers as a key part of his drive to electrify France and to “make the switch to electricity natural and desirable.” He made the comments in a meeting with energy sector giants at the end of May.
It comes alongside other measures, including a push for homes to install heat pumps and electrify the heating of their homes in winter.
National energy supplier EDF is also trialling a new electricity contract with 6,600 households this summer, that ties off-peak prices to periods of excess electricity consumption as opposed to specific hours
How do super-off peak contracts work?
French energy contracts see electricity prices offered in two main ways.
Households either pay the same price per kW/h throughout the day (with the rate either variable based on market trends or fixed at a regulated rate according to the exact contract) or see costs vary throughout the day using a peak/off-peak (heures pleines / heures creuses) system.
These peak/off-peak contracts aim to encourage consumption to be spread across the full day.
Traditionally, they offer cheaper energy during the middle of the day and at night, when national consumption is lower.
To counteract the cheaper prices during off-peak hours however, prices during peak hours are higher than same-rate contracts.
This leads to a mutually beneficial arrangement for suppliers and consumers – households save money by switching some consumption to off-peak hours, and electricity demand is spread more evenly, reducing the risk of shortages or blackouts during high-demand periods.
Changing consumption patterns however, such as working from home, have seen peak/off-peak contracts begin to change, with variations to the hours offered.
These super off-peak contracts are another version of the system, providing even cheaper electricity at points where demand on the national grid is lowest.
Exact amounts and times differ based on the supplier, but generally the cheaper prices are during the summer daytime when solar panels produce a large amount of electricity, or during the night when consumption is lowest.
Are they worth it?
Whether a contract is beneficial to your households depends largely on your consumption, as they can be confusing.
EDF’s Zen Estival super off-peak contract currently offers electricity prices at six different rates depending on the day and season:
9.87 cents/kWh during super off-peak summer hours, from 11:00 to 18:00
13.04 cents/kWh during off-peak summer hours, from 22:00 to 07:00
15.22 cents/kWh during peak summer hours, from 07:00 - 11:00 and then from 18:00 - 22:00
19.28 cents/kWh during super off-peak winter hours, from 22:00 - 07:00
20.62 cents/kWh during off-peak winter hours, from 11:00 - 18:00
26.27 cents/kWh during peak winter hours, from 07:00 - 11:00. and then from 18:00 - 22:00
In comparison, EDF’s regulated tariff (Tarif Bleu) offers a flat rate of 19.27 cents - 19.40 cents (depending on property type) across the entire period.
EDF says that using the Zen Estival contract, households save around 25% on bills in the summer but will cost around 10% more in winter, compared to a standard tariff.
This leads to annual savings of around 9% (winter electricity consumption is higher due to more appliances such as lights, heaters, etc, being turned on for longer), the company says.
However, this is down to how prepared a consumer is, how well they know their off-peak schedule, and how adaptable they are to switch consumption to the cheapest hours.
The households that can manage consumption to match off-peak hours, such as smart appliances that run on timers or charging electric cars, can benefit from cheaper prices.
However, those without smart appliances, or those who are not able to manage consumption to match super off-peak hours, are likely to end up paying more per month due to the higher peak-hour prices.
Octopus Energy and TotalEnergies offer alternatives
Alongside EDF, other companies are also offering similar contracts, but again their effectiveness depends on how much a household can manage its consumption habits.
A major competitor to EDF’s Zen Estival is Octopus Energy's ‘Octo-Tempo’ scheme.
Taking inspiration from EDF’s ‘Tempo’ contract – a peak/off-peak system that adds an additional layer of price changes through the ‘colour’ of the day – it also divides the year into three price points.
Summer days are the cheapest, followed by more expensive winter days and a certain number of much higher ‘red’ days throughout the year (usually during the winter when electricity consumption across France is at its highest).
However, Octo-Tempo alters the off-peak hours included in the contract to match the season, offering two off-peak slots in the summer (day and night) and 21:00 - 07:00 in the winter.
In comparison, EDF Tempo offers a flat 22:00 - 06:00 off-peak zone throughout the year.
Octopus Energy says that households could save up to €142 per year using its Octo-Tempo system.
TotalEnergies has launched a super-off peak contract aimed at electric vehicle owners.
Dubbed ‘Charge'Heures’, it offers a super off-peak price during the hours of 02:00 - 06:00, designed to help drivers charge vehicles overnight (although they can also schedule appliances to run at this time).
Outside of this, the contract offers off-peak hours (23:00 to 02:00. 06:00 - 07:00), with the rest of the day being at peak-hour rates.
Prices are higher per kW/h than EDF or Octopus Energy, however 100% of the electricity under the Charge'Heures offer comes from green sources.
