Energy: are you affected by the end of the regulated gas tariff on July 1?

This is a change that worries many customers, whose energy bills have already risen sharply in recent months. The end of the regulated gas tariff is scheduled for July 1, and those who benefit from it will have to switch to another offer. Why this deletion? Who is affected and what steps should be taken? Le Figaro answers your questions.

Introduced in 1946 by the State, it makes it possible to set the gas sale price according to the purchase costs on the wholesale markets, storage costs, transport costs and taxes. It is also based on the recommendations of the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE). The price changes every month, up or down. In addition to contracts with regulated sales prices, there are also contracts on the market whose prices are set directly by the suppliers, to which the millions of French people concerned will have to turn.

If the regulated tariff made it possible to avoid price drifts, its abolition is linked to one of the measures of the Energy-Climate law, adopted in 2019. This refers to a decision of the Council of State, adopted in 2017, which stipulates that the regulated gas sales tariff is contrary to European law. For the body, it is even "an obstacle to the realization of a competitive gas market". Although it is no longer possible to subscribe to a regulated contract since 2019, customers who signed a contract before this date were able to keep it until June 30, 2023.

The end of regulated gas prices concerns millions of individuals and small condominiums. Indeed, the end had already been introduced at the end of 2020 for professionals, large properties and communities. The July 1 limit is therefore aimed at the 2.5 million French people - out of the 11 million connected to gas - who have regulated contracts with Engie (ex-GDF) or local suppliers such as Gaz de Bordeaux, Gaz de Grenoble or Electricité de Strasbourg, which also supplies gas.

According to the CRE, 93% of consumers are thus attached to Engie and 7% to local companies. The 2.4 million customers who have subscribed to a contract indexed to regulated sales tariffs with alternative suppliers are also concerned. For those whose contract is not fixed on the regulated tariff or for those who benefit from a fixed price, no impact is to be expected.

Over the past three years, five letters have been sent to customers, the last of which arrived in mailboxes in March 2023. You can also contact your supplier to ask him or consult your last gas bill. On Engie, a blue "Gaz regulated tariff" logo is affixed to the top and left of the bill.

For the time being, the customers concerned can subscribe to another gas supply contract. There is no need to terminate your contract at a regulated rate, it will stop on its own, without causing a gas cut. If nothing is done, these customers will "automatically switch to a new contract" at market price from Engie or a local supplier, said in May on Cnews the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. Customers also have the option of changing contracts with the same supplier or other companies, at no additional cost.

The CRE has published a benchmark price on its site to help “enlighten” consumers. “The purpose of this indicative benchmark price is to serve as a compass for consumers who wish to compare supply offers from June 2023”, explains the energy constable in a press release. It will be updated each month to follow changes in the price of gas. For this month of June, the CRE recommends, for example, a subscription at 100.58 euros per year for cooking and hot water, and 249.48 euros including tax per year for heating.

However, beware of dishonest players who could take advantage of this change to scam consumers, in particular by offering an attractive price before increasing it a few weeks later. It is therefore essential to read all the lines of your new contract. To assess supplier contracts, you can use a comparator such as that of the Energy Mediator (energie-info.fr/comparateurs-et-outils).