Gas prices are set to rise again in France in June, 2024, the energy regulation commission has confirmed.
La Commission de régulation de l'énergie (CRE) has said that the ‘benchmark’ price of gas will increase by 1.8% for people who use gas to heat their homes (and 1.7% for other gas users) meaning that energy suppliers will be required to increase their prices by the same amount.
The CRE publishes its benchmark price every month. This is now used as the base for gas prices, after the regulated sales tariffs (TRV) for gas disappeared on July 1, 2023.
Around 10.5 million households in France use gas as their main source of energy.
The benchmark is made up of a fixed price (your subscription), plus your variable gas consumption.
For example:
In May, a household using gas to heat water or cook would pay an average subscription of €8.58, plus its personal gas consumption.
The reference price per megawatt-hour (mWh) is set at €112.61, however, some well-served areas pay a lower rate of €108.88.
The amount also depends on what you use gas for; heating with gas means you will pay more for your subscription (an average of €21.43 per month) but less per megawatt-hour (€91.40).
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The amount paid also includes the cost of transporting it, so people who live closer to a gas port will pay less than people who live further away.
Rising benchmark price still low
Between July 2023 and June 2024, the benchmark gas price rose by an average of 7.4% for small consumers. Households who use gas to heat their homes paid an 11.5% increase.
“This rise is explained by a slight increase in natural gas wholesale market prices, which had been falling since the end of 2023,” the CRE said.
Gas prices have actually been falling since December 2023, because of low level gas market prices. The current benchmark prices are actually lower than those set for the former regulated tariff.
