Regulated electricity rate in France: understanding the TRV in 2026

What is the regulated electricity rate?

The regulated electricity rate, known in French as the tarif reglemente de vente (TRV) and marketed as the Tarif Bleu, is the only electricity tariff whose price is set by the public authorities rather than determined by free market competition. It is sold by EDF on most of the French territory and by entreprises locales de distribution (ELD) in their historic service areas (Strasbourg, Metz, Grenoble and around twenty other zones).

Its legal framework comes from the NOME Act of 7 December 2010 and articles L.337-1 et seq. of the French Energy Code. The 2019 Energy-Climate Act confirmed that the electricity TRV would remain in place for households and small professional sites, even though the gas TRV was scheduled for abolition.

The regulated rate plays three roles: it offers a transparent price reference, it protects consumers from short-term wholesale price shocks, and it serves as a benchmark against which all market offers position themselves (with discounts indexed to the TRV, fixed-price contracts compared to it, and so on).

Who can subscribe to the TRV in 2026?

Since 1 January 2016 the Tarif Bleu has been reserved for sites with a subscribed power up to 36 kVA. This covers the vast majority of homes and small professional premises in France. Larger sites (industrial customers, large offices) must source their electricity from market offers.

The supply contract is signed directly with EDF (or with the relevant ELD in its service area). These are the only suppliers authorised to sell electricity at the regulated price. Every other supplier in France offers market-based contracts only.

How the TRV price is built: the stacking of costs

The Commission de regulation de l'energie (CRE) applies a methodology called empilement des couts, framed by articles R.337-18 et seq. of the Energy Code. The methodology adds four main building blocks:

• Energy procurement cost. EDF buys and produces the electricity needed to supply its TRV customers. Since the end of ARENH on 31 December 2025, the CRE applies the rules from the 14 November 2023 State-EDF agreement and from the legislation that followed.
• TURPE (Tarif d'utilisation des reseaux publics d'electricite). This tariff remunerates RTE for the high-voltage transmission grid and Enedis for the distribution network. It is set separately by the CRE and represents roughly one third of a residential bill.
• EDF's commercial costs for managing the contract, customer service, billing and debt recovery.
• Taxes: the electricity excise duty (formerly TICFE / CSPE), the transmission contribution and VAT (20% on consumption, 5.5% on the subscription).

The CRE's proposed scale is then approved by joint order of the ministers in charge of energy and the economy and published in the Journal officiel. The TRV is reviewed at least twice a year, on 1 February and 1 August.

The three options of the Tarif Bleu

The Tarif Bleu bill always has two components: a subscription fee (abonnement) based on the subscribed power and paid monthly regardless of consumption, plus a consumption charge based on the actual kilowatt-hours used. Both are regulated.

Subscribed power: what to choose

On top of the option, you pick a subscribed power in kilovolt-amperes (kVA). It defines how much electricity you can draw simultaneously without tripping the meter. The most common levels are:

• 3 kVA - very small flats without electric heating
• 6 kVA - by far the most common level for standard homes
• 9 kVA - homes with electric heating or major appliances
• 12 kVA and above - larger properties, fast EV charging

A power that is too low causes frequent disconnections; a power that is too high needlessly raises the subscription. Changes can be requested from EDF (Enedis carries out the work) and follow the TURPE schedule of fees.

End of ARENH on 31 December 2025

The ARENH mechanism (Acces regule a l'electricite nucleaire historique), created by the NOME Act in 2010, allowed alternative suppliers to buy a share of EDF's nuclear output every year at a regulated price of 42 EUR/MWh, up to a yearly cap. It came to an end on 31 December 2025.

It is replaced by the framework agreed between the French State and EDF on 14 November 2023: EDF sells its nuclear output on the wholesale market, with a redistribution mechanism above certain average price thresholds (the extra revenues are largely passed back to consumers through their bills). The CRE's 2026 TRV methodology integrates this new framework.

In practice, the TRV continues to exist, but its "energy procurement" component now reflects wholesale prices more directly, smoothed by the redistribution rules.

Price shield (bouclier tarifaire): where do we stand in 2026?

The bouclier tarifaire, introduced in late 2021 to protect consumers from the European wholesale energy crisis, was gradually phased out. The final step took place in February 2025, when the TRV fell back to a level that no longer required a cap. In 2026 the shield is no longer active: the TRV reflects actual costs through the CRE's stacking-of-costs methodology.

Targeted social support remains in place: the cheque energie (automatically sent to eligible households based on the reference tax income), MaPrimeRenov' for energy renovation works, and the zero-interest eco-loan (Eco-PTZ).

Regulated rate or market offer: how to think about it

The independent public comparator comparateur.energie-info.fr, run by the French national energy ombudsman (mediateur national de l'energie), lets you objectively review available offers without commercial canvassing.

Frequently asked questions