Electricity costs based on demand?

ELECTRICITY could be made more expensive at peak times to encourage homes to consume less, the government has suggested.

La Tribune says the proposal is designed to "encourage customers to limit their consumption during periods when overall energy usage is at its highest".

A higher rate would apply to periods of exceptionally high demand - the recent spell of cold weather, for example.

The Ecology Ministry said the average price paid by households would not change, but the difference between peak and off-peak prices might be bigger.

The proposal is included in a new draft law on the future of EDF and its relationships with competitors, which could come into effect this summer.

France has consumed a record amount of electricity in recent months because of the cold weather. Some regions that do not produce enough power themselves have been put on power cut alert, including Brittany and Paca.

The country has had to import large amounts of power from overseas this winter for the first time because of the rise in demand and a lack of supply as a number of nuclear reactors are out of action due to maintenance work.

Photo:L_Avi