French Consumer Code

The consumer has free access to his consumption data.The terms and conditions of access to consumption data and statements are specified by a decree issued after consulting the Conseil national de la consommation and the Commission de régulation de l’énergie.

For dynamic pricing offers mentioned in article L. 332-7 du code de l’énergie, the supplier shall make available to the consumer the warning system for significant variations in the market price provided for in V of this article.

Any draft amendment envisaged by the supplier to the contractual terms and conditions shall be communicated to the consumer by post or, at the consumer’s request, by electronic means, at least one month before the envisaged date of application. In the case of electricity or gas, any plans to amend the contractual provisions relating to the arrangements for determining the price of supply, as well as the reasons, preconditions and…

The electricity or natural gas supplier bills, at least once a year, according to the energy consumed. No electricity or natural gas consumption more than fourteen months prior to the last reading or self-reading may be billed, except in the event of lack of access to the meter, failure by the consumer to send an index relating to his actual consumption, following a letter sent to the customer by the…

Electricity and natural gas supply bills are presented in accordance with the conditions laid down by an order of the minister responsible for consumption and the minister responsible for energy issued after consulting the Conseil national de la consommation. When a supplier wishes to send bills to a consumer on a durable medium other than paper, the supplier first checks that this method of communication is suitable for the customer’s…

No charges related to payment rejection may be levied by an electricity and natural gas supplier on natural persons not acting for professional purposes who benefit from the energy voucher provided for in article L. 124-1 du code de l’énergie.

The customer may change supplier within the shortest possible period, which may not exceed twenty-one days from the date of his request. In this case, the contract is automatically terminated on the date on which a new energy supply contract takes effect. If it is not a question of a change of supplier, the termination takes effect on the date requested by the consumer and, at the latest, thirty days…

The consumer receives the termination invoice within four weeks of termination of the contract. The supplier may only charge the consumer for the costs it has actually incurred, via the network operator, in connection with the termination and provided that these costs have been explicitly provided for in the offer. These costs must be duly justified. No costs may be claimed from the consumer for the sole reason that he…