Sobriety: “Electricity consumption in France has fallen by 5%” and that of gas by 14%, according to the Minister for Energy Transition

The operator of the electricity transmission network RTE told the government on Tuesday “that electricity consumption had fallen by 5%“, announces Wednesday, October 19 on franceinfo the Minister of Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher. This consumption “is corrected for climatic hazards“, she specifies. The minister also claims to have noted “a double-digit drop in [la consommation de] gas“, “around 14%“. According to Agnès Pannier-Runacher, this does not take into account “the consumption of gas power plants because to protect our nuclear power plants and have them in force during the winter, we use our gas power plants“.

The Minister for Energy Transition also recalls having asked energy suppliers in early July for ways to “reward” their clients “that save energy“, in a context of calls for energy sobriety. Agnès Pannier-Runacher wants them to put “put in place tariffs that go beyond simply lowering the bill when saving energy“. She specifies that she has received proposals from Engie, TotalEnergies and “other small suppliers“.”EDF made proposals, the equivalent of peak hours and off-peak hours that already existed but we weren’t allowed to promote them so today they came back and there is work to represent them to the French“, she adds.

Agnès Pannier-Runacher calls on the French to be “attentive in their choice of contract“electricity.”If they are able to lower their energy consumption, let them choose the rate that allows them to be better valued“, she says. The Minister for Energy Transition assures that many suppliers “run simulators to see if you manage to activate these energy reduction levers and therefore an even greater reduction in bills“.