Electricity: will you receive the bonus paid to French people who have reduced their consumption?

Customers who have demonstrated energy sobriety this winter will see their efforts rewarded. Two of the main electricity suppliers, TotalEnergies and Engie, are preparing to pay bonuses to households and professionals who have made sure to limit their consumption in recent months. A gesture also aimed at allowing the country to pass the period without cuts.

In a press release published on Wednesday, TotalEnergies welcomed the success of the device launched at the end of last year, called "Bonus Conso". "During the winter of 2022-2023, more than 50% of our 2.4 million individual and professional customers eligible for the Conso Bonus reduced their consumption by more than 5%, the threshold allowing them to obtain the bonus", indicates the energy company. On average, this large million households reduced their electricity consumption by 15% compared to the previous winter, allowing these households to pocket an average bonus of 90 euros. Bonus which will not be distributed by check but via a discount on their invoice for the next month.

As TotalEnergies points out, the premium that these customers will receive will be added to the savings made on their bill. "By having reduced its consumption by 15%, a household consuming 5000 KWh thus saved 100 euros on its bill and received a bonus of 90 euros, i.e. a total of 190 euros, and a household consuming 15,000 KWh 390 euros", notes the band. About a quarter of customers eligible for this bonus, or 600,000 households, have even lowered their consumption by more than 20%, and will therefore benefit from a bonus of 120 euros, points out TotalEnergies.

This system was intended only for customers of the supplier who had subscribed to a continuous contract since the end of 2021, domiciled in the same accommodation during this period and holders of a communicating Linky meter. As for the others, a bonus of 20 or 30 euros will be paid to them “to thank them for their loyalty”, indicates TotalEnergies. The giant also specifies that it will pay “more than 100 million euros” to its customers, through these various devices.

Engie customers will also be able to benefit from a bonus, provided they have participated in the “My Engie bonus” scheme. Since October, the group has organized seven challenges to “encourage individuals to lower their consumption on certain days, in particular to avoid tensions on the electrical system”. By reducing their consumption during these periods, customers collected euros in a kitty, paid directly into their account when it exceeded 25 euros.

“To date, the cumulative winnings of all the winners amount to 1,366,000 euros, some of which have already been paid to customers”, specifies Engie. Of the 430,000 households that took part in at least one challenge, those who succeeded in their electricity reduction target are eligible for a bonus. Engie also specifies that this initiative has saved “more than 2 GWh of electricity over the winter period, equivalent to the daily residential consumption” of the city of Nice.

The giant EDF had also launched its own challenge last December, but it only targeted its customers in the market offer who were members of its “Oxygen club”. They had to reduce their electricity consumption by at least 10% compared to the previous winter to be rewarded either with a gift card of 75 euros, a gift that they could also offer to the Abbé Pierre Foundation via a Don. Helped by the government, the public group had also strongly communicated on its “Tempo” offer, allowing it to benefit from advantageous electricity prices in exchange for reduced consumption during the days of winter consumption peaks.