Is it possible to apply for compensation after power cut at French home?

Reader Question: There have been several power cuts at my property in recent weeks. How do I go about asking for compensation? 

Compensation in the event of a power cut is possible, however it depends on the conditions of the outage.

Direct compensation from Enedis – the French electrical grid operator – is only given in limited circumstances. 

Where it applies, it is paid from the grid operator to your supplier, to be taken off your future bill.

To be eligible, the conditions of the power cut must fulfil a set of criteria from the Commission de Régulation de l'Energie (CRE). 

These are: 

• The power cut lasts more than five hours

• The fault is caused by the distribution network – this includes during exceptional events such as weather issues

• Fewer than 20% of all end consumers supplied by the supplier were affected

This compensation is limited to 40 consecutive five-hour periods (eight days and eight hours overall), and capped at €2 per hour or €3.50 depending on the strength of the power. 

It is often given out automatically to eligible property owners, without them needing to apply.

A 24/7 Enedis helpline is available regarding these compensation claims – 09 72 67 50 + the number of your department. For example if you live in the Alpes-Maritimes the number is 09 72 67 50 06.

Additional compensation from insurer 

If the powercut caused additional issues, such as a loss of food from your fridge, you likely need to make a compensation claim to your home insurer, and not your electricity supplier/Enedis. 

This will also be the case if a power surge ruins any of your appliances, which may be covered under the dégats électriques section of your home insurance policy.

Read more: Does insurance cover food in fridge ruined after power cut in France?

If you are unsatisfied with the response from Enedis or your supplier, you can open an official complaint here. 

Follow the information on the ‘Etape 2 / Je saisis le DRAL’ section. 

If they do not respond after 60 days, you can complain to France’s national energy mediator. 

This can either be done through its website or by sending a registered post letter to the following address: 

Médiateur national de l’énergie

Libre réponse n°59252

75443 PARIS Cedex 09

More information on submitting your dossier can be found in our article below. 

Read more: How to contact France’s energy ombudsman over bills or other issues