Why hundreds of thousands of French households risk higher electricity bill in March

Electricity bills in March could spike for hundreds of thousands of households, as state energy supplier EDF is set to trigger 13 ‘red’ days of higher electricity prices across the month.

These red days, declared in the winter period to help reduce the risk of energy blackouts, drastically change energy costs for certain EDF subscribers and must take place before the end of March.

A mild, if wet, winter has seen lower electricity consumption across France compared to average however, with fewer homes turning on heating (or having it at a lower setting). At the same time, electricity production has increased.

These two factors combined have largely reduced the risk of blackouts, reducing the need for ‘red’ days.

While decreased consumption generally leads to lower bills, households on the EDF ‘Tempo’ contract can see electricity costs spike during peak hours, potentially cancelling out any other savings or even seeing bills rise above previous months.

What is the EDF Tempo contract?

EDF’s ‘Tempo’ contract is a subset of the regulated tariff bill, splitting days into three categories of blue, white, and red that each have a corresponding electricity price attached to them.

Blue days see households save up to 28% on electricity costs during peak hours and 25% in off-peak hours, classed as ’advantageous days’, while white ‘intermediary days’ see average savings of 15% off-peak and 17% during peak hours.

However, red days can see prices more triple during peak hours – reaching 3.5x the normal cost of electricity on the regulated tariff – despite savings of around 11% during off-peak times.

You can read more about the contract in our explainer article here.

In the period between September 1 2025 and August 31, 2026, there will be 300 blue days, 43 white days, and 22 red days.

‘Red’ days are placed throughout the winter season on days where EDF estimates higher-than-usual consumption, usually due to households heating their homes.

By announcing a red day, the supplier hopes that consumption from households on the Tempo contract will drop (as they look to avoid a sudden spike in costs), making up for increased consumption elsewhere. 

Note that ‘peak’ hours in the contract are defined as 06:00 - 22:00 and therefore cover most of the day. 

Changes to ‘peak hours’ in other contract types are yet to affect the Tempo contract.

While this has traditionally worked, a mild winter this year means that a majority of the ‘red’ days are yet to be declared as the grid has remained stable.

Rules stipulate the days must be declared in the winter period, ending on March 31.

As they can only be declared on weekdays, 13 of the remaining 17 eligible Monday-Friday days must be classified as ‘red’ days (March 5 and 6 have already been classified as blue days). 

This is the case despite temperatures remaining largely above average for the season, and the risk of energy blackouts from overconsumption remaining low.

There has only been one instance where ‘red days’ have not been fully used, during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in February/March 2020. 

There is precedent, therefore, for this winter’s red days not to be used, however EDF nor grid operator RTE are yet to comment on this possibility, and contract holders should prepare for an influx of red days. 

What can households do to reduce consumption on red days? 

‘Tempo’ plan holders should therefore be mindful of their electricity consumption for the rest of the month. 

The EDF website provides information on the ‘colour’ of the day, and at around 11:00 announces information about the classification of the next day. 

Households can then ensure they reduce their consumption in advance. 

This can be done by using smart settings to schedule energy-intensive activities on appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers to come on at night, during off-peak hours. 

You can also manually – or if you have a smart thermostat, digitally – reduce or turn off the heating in your property during the day. 

If the weather remains mild, this may already be your plan even without factoring in energy costs. 

More tips are available in our article here.