Electricity Accounts

[Dave]

We have owned a property in Mayenne for a couple of years and have been shocked by the electricity bills we've received for the few weeks that we are there. Having read the article in LF March it seems almost certain that we'll be better off switching from the "option heures pleines/creuses" to "option tempo". Are there any drawbacks to such a switch?

Thanks.

[SaligoBay]

Don't switch to Tempo if:

- you have lots of babies or young children.

- you have lots of guests over the winter

- you don't have a non-electric source of heating and/or cooking.

The Tempo rates are here:  http://particuliers.edf.fr/rubrique112.html    The 22 red days are all in winter, and you really have to avoid as much electricity use as you can, so no oven, washing machine, dishwasher, electric heating, and so on.

[Teamedup]

As Saligo says, having alternative heating is the most important. I have always had guests in the winter and have in the past had to boil pans of water on the gas for baths as it would have been too expensive to put the chauffe-eau on during the day on those expensive days.

 

I never had a problem when the kids were little. I would always make sure that I didn't need to use the electric oven on those expensive days, although I do have a camping gaz oven which I have used occassionally.

 

Since we have gas central heating, with instant hot water, it makes it all so much simpler. And guests asking, is there enough water for a bath is never a problem, there is always enough hot water for everything.

 

[Val_2]

Dave. Don't forget that electricity has gone up a great deal recently as well as the gas. France was never cheap for electricity anyway and your bills may have been made upto date from only estimates paid before as we had the meters read in early Jan and everyone I know had huge bills to take into account the estimated ones previously paid. If you have no other form of power like gas, mazout etc to pay for then you may better off than you realise especially for a holiday home.

[SaligoBay]

[quote user="Teamedup"]

I never had a problem when the kids were little. I would always make sure that I didn't need to use the electric oven on those expensive days, although I do have a camping gaz oven which I have used occassionally.

[/quote]

I was thinking of the times when there are 2, 3, or 5 red days in a row.  That could be hard if you had babies around.  

We have Tempo, it's okay, but you have to kind of organise your life round the electricity supply.  You can't just think "I'll do a lasagne tonight" or anything that needs the oven.   So you do have to be more organised and plan things in advance.  One day I will learn this skill! [:)]