Red days rule changes announced

The Energy Regulation Commission (CRE) has announced changes to how "red days" are selected under the EDF Tempo option, starting from November 1. These days, when electricity prices rise during peak hours, will now be managed differently to avoid clustering at the end of winter, as happened last year.

Impact on French households

Approximately 900,000 French households using the Tempo option of EDF's Blue Tariff are familiar with "red days." On these days, electricity prices surge to 72.95 cents per kilowatt-hour during peak hours, nearly four times higher than the base option's 19.85 cents.

Purpose of the Tempo option

The Tempo option, introduced in 1998, encourages users to adjust their electricity consumption to balance supply and demand. In return for shifting usage to off-peak times, users get 300 "blue days" with very low prices and 43 "white days" with competitive pricing.

New selection method for red days

Starting from November 1, the method for selecting "red days" will change. Previously, RTE, the electricity network manager, used an algorithm based on consumption forecasts and a triggering threshold. This method is now being adjusted to prevent excessive accumulation of red days at the end of winter.

Exclusion of holiday days

One key change is the exclusion of December 24 and December 31 from being classified as "red days." This follows dissatisfaction among users when these days were previously labeled red. The government will instead use the Écowatt mechanism to encourage reduced consumption during peak hours on these days.

Balancing red days across winter

The winter of 2025-2026 had mild temperatures, resulting in lower electricity consumption. This led to 13 "red days" being set consecutively in March to meet the annual quota. To avoid such clustering, the CRE has asked RTE to adopt a new selection method similar to the one used for the capacity mechanism, ensuring a more balanced distribution of red days throughout the winter period.

Earlier red day announcements

RTE plans to announce part of the "red days" two days in advance, instead of the previous day. This change will give Tempo subscribers more time to adjust their electricity usage and avoid the most expensive hours.