• With soaring energy prices, the French fear that the bill will be steep this winter.

  • At EDF, advisers dedicated to solidarity manage the most precarious situations on a daily basis, guiding and advising households that can no longer pay their bills.

  • Since April, the supplier has also undertaken to no longer cut off electricity in the event of an unpaid bill, even outside the winter break.

How much will the pain be?

Even if the temperatures are still mild, many French people are already afraid of winter.

Because with the energy crisis, gas and electricity bills are likely to be higher in the coming months.

Unlike local authorities and businesses, individuals have certainly benefited since the end of 2021 from the tariff shield which has made it possible to cap the increase in regulated tariffs at 4% in 2022. But from January 1, the system will be a little less protective with an increase in gas and electricity prices which will be limited to 15%.

At the same time, an exceptional energy check of 100 to 200 euros will be paid by the government by the end of the year to nearly 12 million households to help them cope with soaring energy prices.

A little help, but that won't be enough for everyone.

At the EDF customer relations center in Rennes, the ten or so solidarity advisers expect to have to manage more files in the coming weeks.

“It is not yet felt but it is very likely”, underlines Nathalie Douziech, head of the EDF Ouest solidarity pole.

New precarious situations since the Covid crisis

In any case, these advisers did not wait for the energy crisis to see that more and more households are having difficulty paying their bills.

“Since the Covid crisis, we have seen the arrival of new people who we did not see before, such as students, retirees or the working poor, indicates Nathalie Douziech.

And the amount of debt has also increased, by around 20%.

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At the end of the line, these solidarity advisers are in daily contact with landlords or social workers who work with the most precarious households.

Those who can no longer pay their bills despite the energy check.

"We are here to provide solutions to these customers in difficulty so that the energy bill is not an aggravating factor in this precarious situation", continues the manager.

Learning eco-gestures

Each file is studied on a case-by-case basis.

For some, payment schedules are offered.

Others are also directed towards aid schemes such as the Fonds Solidarité Logement, a departmental scheme allowing the payment of housing-related bills.

Support also involves learning eco-gestures so that these customers reduce their energy bills.

“We always start by taking stock of the housing situation and consumption habits,” says Jean-François, solidarity adviser.



The advice is sometimes very basic.

"Some don't even have a thermometer in their home and don't know what the temperature is," he says.

Others have contracts that do not correspond to their uses and we therefore review this with them.

“For the most extreme cases, those who have” four-figure debts “, the advisers finally propose to mount a file of over-indebtedness.

"But it's really in the latter case and it's not our responsibility either," concludes Jean-François.

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The end of cuts for unpaid invoices

The measure was demanded by associations fighting against precariousness.

Since April 1, EDF has undertaken to no longer cut off electricity to individuals in the event of unpaid bills.

A measure valid all year round and not only during the winter break.

This cut is however replaced by a limitation of the power of the meter to 1,000 watts.

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