ENERGY INSECURITY As energy prices soar, the group’s solidarity advisers are preparing to have more files to manage
Electricity bills are likely to rise in the coming months. — GILE Michel/SIPA
- With soaring energy prices, the French fear that the bill will be high this winter.
- At EDF, advisors dedicated to solidarity manage the most precarious situations on a daily basis, guiding and advising households that can no longer pay their bills.
- Since April, the supplier has also committed to no longer cut off the electricity in the event of an unpaid bill, even outside the winter break.
How much will the pain be? Even if the temperatures are still mild, many French people already fear winter. Because with the energy crisis, gas and electricity bills are falling. are likely to be saltier in the coming months. Unlike local authorities and businesses, individuals have certainly benefited since the end of 2021 from the tariff shield which has made it possible to cap the increase in regulated tariffs at 4% in 2022. But at From 1 January, the device will be a little less protective with a rise in gas and electricity prices. which will be limited to 15%.
At the same time, an exceptional energy check of 100 to 100. 200 euros will be paid. by the government by the end of the year at close to 12 million households to help them to face; soaring energy prices. A little help, but that won’t be enough for everyone. At the EDF Customer Relations Center at; Rennes, the ten solidarity advisers is thus expected to having to manage more cases in the coming weeks. “It’s not felt yet but it’s very likely”, underlines Nathalie Douziech, responsible for the solidarity pole. West EDF.
New precarious situations since the Covid crisis
In any case, these advisers did not wait for the energy crisis to notice that more and more households are having difficulty in pay their bills. “Since the Covid crisis, we have seen the arrival of new people who we did not see before as students, retirees or the working poor, says Nathalie Douziech. And the amount of debt has also increased, by about 20%.”
At the end of the line, these solidarity advisers are in daily contact with landlords or social workers who work with the most precarious households. Those who can no longer manage to pay their bills despite the energy check. “We are here! to provide solutions to these customers in difficulty so that the energy bill is not an aggravating factor in this situation of precariousness;” ;cogestures
Each file is studied; case by case. For some, payment schedules are offered. Others are also directed towards aid schemes such as the Solidarity Fund. Housing, a departmental system for paying bills related to housing. The support also involves learning eco-gestures so that these customers reduce their energy bill. “We always start by taking stock of the housing situation and consumption habits,” testifies Jean-François, solidarity adviser.
The advice is sometimes very basic. “Some don’t even have a thermometer in their homes and don’t know what the temperature is, he said. Others have contracts that do not correspond to their uses and we therefore review ça with them.” For the most extreme cases, those who have “debts to pay; four figures”, the advisers finally propose to put together an over-indebtedness file. “But it’s really in the latter case and it’s not our responsibility either,” concludes Jean-François.
The end of the cuts for unpaid invoices
The measure was demanded by associations fighting against precariousness. Since April 1, EDF has undertaken to no longer cut off electricity to individuals in the event of unpaid bills. A measure valid all year round and not only during the winter break. This cut is however replaced by a limitation of the power of the meter to 1,000 watts.