For details of the changes to the legal and regulatory framework and tariff changes for the year for regulated electricity sales tariffs in France (formerly “blue” tariffs), see note 5.1.1 to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022 in section 6.1.
Since the Energy and Climate Act entered into force, the situation for electricity, by category of customer, is as follows:
Regulatory notice
In accordance with Article L. 337-4 of the French Energy Code, the CRE has been responsible for notifying the Ministers for the Economy and for Energy of its justified proposals for regulated electricity sales tariffs (TRV). If no objections are made within three months, the proposals are deemed to have been approved.
In France, residential and non-residential customers who are entitled to the regulated sales tariffs may also choose a market offer put forward by any supplier, including EDF.
With the exception of customers directly connected to the transmission network, who must sign separate supply and delivery contracts, all other customers may enter into a single contract with the supplier. In this regard, a commission is paid by the distributor to any supplier offering a single contract to its customers since in doing so, it provides customer management services on behalf of the distributor.
The quality of supply, which is the distributor’s responsibility, is monitored on a regular basis under contracts with the distributors. EDF monitors the impact of outages and the quality of supply to its customers and their satisfaction. The aim is to work with the distributor on a continuous improvement basis.
EDF’s Customer Division brings together all business relating to the sale of electricity, gas, and related services in mainland metropolitan France. It also performs all customer management functions, including the management of customer requests via all channels (telephone, email, etc.), complaints handling, invoicing, and debt recovery. The activity spans all customer segments: residential consumers, professionals, companies, and local authorities. For larger customers (industry and service sectors), energy services are mainly marketed and provided by Dalkia, a subsidiary of EDF.
The Customer Division operates on the basis of recognised fundamentals:
In 2021, EDF became the first energy supplier to obtain “Relation Client France” (France Customer Relations) certification created by the French Association of Customer Relations (Association française de la relation client, AFRC) and the Pro France Association. This certification recognises French companies that choose to locate all of their customer service in France and that are committed to providing jobs for local communities through initiatives in the fields of local integration, training and inclusivity.
Residential customer satisfaction and trust are a priority for EDF. Approximately 9 out of 10 customers are satisfied with their relationship with EDF following telephone contact. EDF is one of the most popular French companies. Brand image surveys show that two out of three customers trust EDF when it comes to obtaining assistance with managing their energy consumption. The annual report of the French national energy mediator published in May 2022 shows that EDF has one of the lowest rate of complaints. The customer experience offered is both human (through its advisors who are all located in France and can be reached by telephone or by chat) and digital (online customer account access, chat, web call back, mobile application, digital solutions, social media, etc.).
EDF supplies electricity at regulated sales tariffs and also offers a complete range of market-price solutions for electricity that are adapted to the expectations and consumption profiles of customers. This range is built around two types of solution:
EDF offers a wide range of market offers in gas. EDF assists its customers in managing and reducing their consumptions and therefore their CO2 emissions. “Gas Advantage” offers a fixed price per kWh (1) for a period of four years. Over and above the characteristics of the “Gas Advantage” solution, “Sustainable Gas Advantage” offers partial carbon offsetting. “Connected Gas Advantage” gives customers the possibility of managing their heating remotely through the purchase of a smart thermostat. A new solution, “Optimised Gas Advantage”, which is index-linked to the Regulated Gas Tariff, was launched to enable customers to benefit from the price increase cap.
EDF, with the support of its subsidiaries, in particular IZI Solutions and IZI Confort, is promoting the installation of heat pumps to replace gas boilers, which means that certain uses can be electrified, in accordance with its raison d’être.
In parallel with its supply offers, EDF assists its residential customers so that they can monitor and understand their energy use. The aim is to encourage them to make energy savings using the “Mes Éco et Moi” (2) (My Savings and Me) digital solutions. Customers who consult their energy use tracking tool more than two to three times a month can achieve savings of 10% on average on their bills (3). The “EDF et Moi” (EDF and Me) app has enjoyed growing success, with 170 million visits in 2022.
(1) Excluding VAT.
(2) Available in the customer area of the website and in the “EDF et Moi” app.
(3) Internal survey, EDF R&D.
