The government gave the green light on Thursday July 16 to an average increase of 2.5% in regulated electricity prices on August 1, 2026 for nearly 20 million households, while it forecast bills “stable at least in 2026 and 2027” at the end of 2025.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) announced that it had proposed to the French government an average increase of 2.5% in regulated electricity sales tariffs (TRVE) on August 1, 2026. These tariffs are in opposition to the market tariffs, proposed by many suppliers since the opening of the sector to competition.
This increase would result in an increase in the annual bill of around €26 including tax on average for the approximately 19.37 million households affected by this type of contract, according to CRE figures finalized at the end of March and concerning mainland mainland France.
“Maintenance of our networks”
In the evening, the energy ministry of Maud Bregeon, also government spokesperson, declared that “the government will follow up” on this proposal. It “must in particular make it possible to invest in maintaining production capacities for the winter season and the maintenance of our public electricity networks”, explains the ministry, stressing that the episodes of extreme heat in recent weeks had underlined “the importance” of this.
At the end of 2025, the same government nevertheless assured that the new organization of the electricity market in France, with the end of price control for EDF’s nuclear production (regulated pricing system known as Arenh) would be painless for the French. Bercy thus affirmed at the end of 2025 that “bill prices should be stable at least in 2026 and 2027” for three-quarters of French people, those having subscribed to the regulated electricity sales tariff.
In January again, when the CRE had proposed a 0.8% reduction in TRVE from the beginning of February, the Minister of the Economy Roland Lescure assured that the government’s desire was “to begin a path of lasting reduction to further accelerate the electrification of uses”.
On Thursday, the CRE justified its proposal in particular by increasing the tariff for the use of public electricity networks (Turpe), one of the three components of regulated tariffs. The other two are electricity supply and taxes.
From €1,046 to €1,072 per year
The change in the average level of regulated prices compared to those currently in force should be on average “of the order of + €5.98” per megawatt/hour, all taxes included. For an average consumption of 4.5 MWh per year, the average in France, the bill would increase from €1,046 to €1,072 including tax.
The Ministry of Energy specifies that “this increase also follows rising inflation in France, at 2.4% over one year in May according to INSEE”, and that “at the same time, the average benchmark sales price of gas including tax has increased by 21%” since February due to the war in the Middle East.
While the government launched a plan three months ago supposed to encourage more electricity consumption, the ministry also assures that “it has never been so advantageous to go electric in France”, where prices “remain very significantly lower than the European Union average”.
This electrification plan includes 22 measures announced in April, including a new wave of social leasing for electric vehicles, which opened on Thursday, and a turnkey offer for the installation of reversible heat pumps, which produce heat in winter and cold in summer.
