Vie Hachés: Dépassement de Puissance How to choose 9 kVA so nothing goes dark again

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Imagine it, just when you need it most, your electricity meter turns off your electricity! You’re in the middle of cooking for eight people, everything timed down to the minute… and then the power cuts out. C’est fou ! I wanted to make sure I had understood the options for turning on electrical service in France so I asked my Swedish, German, and English classmates about this French-style “surprise blackout,” and they gave me the same incredulous look usually reserved for my boulangerie order. They confirmed that in their countries, there is no such thing as an electricity contract that sets a maximum instant power and, if you dare cross it for a few seconds, your meter shuts off your entire home. C’est vrai.  One of my classmater even confirmed the same thing had happened to her friend hier soir.

1. The night everything went dark (again)

We’re having one of those perfect Aix evenings.

I’m in the kitchen, feeling extremely bougie:

  • oven on for roasted veggies,

  • two induction hobs going (because of course dinner is “multi-course” now),

  • tiny space heater on eco because the building prefers to think about heating the radiators rather than actually doing it.

TV on, computer is on for last-minute recipe advice, life is good.

And then:

BOOM. Everything goes black.

Not just “the lights flickered” black.
Full-on “did we forget to pay the bill?” black.

We fumble for our phones, do the little flashlight dance, reset the breaker like we’ve done a dozen times in this apartment… and I think:

OK, this time we definitely hit the maximum peak. Too many toys at once.

Except: it also happens when we don’t have everything on.
Sometimes it trips with just the fridge, dishwasher and TV.
Once we went out for the evening with only the fridge running and came home to a dark apartment. That’s not us being energy hogs, that’s… something else.

So while this post is technically about comparing marketplace offers, it really started with:

“Why does our cozy Aix flat keep disjoncting when we’re just trying to live like normal 21st-century humans?”

And now, as we move into a new, all-electric apartment (hot water heater, central air, induction, the works), I’ve had to dive deep into:

  • 6 kVA vs 9 kVA

  • Base vs Tempo (time-of-use)

  • Regulated “Tarif Bleu” vs marketplace offers

…because 6 kVA is clearly not going to cut it anymore.

2. What’s actually tripping: not “kWh per day,” but instant power

Here’s the first thing that finally clicked for me (cue revelation music):

I thought the meter was basically judging us on our total usage — like we hit some invisible daily quota and Linky said, “Non.”

But the Linky meter doesn’t care how many kWh you used today. It cares about the instantaneous power you’re trying to pull right now.

  • Our contract says 6 kVA.

  • That roughly corresponds to 6,000 watts max at a given moment.

  • If we go over that — boom — the meter cuts off.

EDF calls this “dépassement de puissance”. Your Linky may even flash a warning before it cuts.(Hello Watt)

So: oven + 2 induction hobs + space heater + fridge + TV + miscellaneous chargers?

Totally believable that we crossed 6 kVA for a second or two and — snap — everything goes off.

But the weird part is the fridge-only blackout when we were out. That’s what makes me suspect:

  • either the main building disjoncteur is oversensitive or tired,

  • or there’s some wiring weirdness in this older building on Cours Mirabeau,

  • or both.

(Also very French that the building is generous with architectural charm and stingy with hot water in the radiators.)

If this sounds like you:

  • Check whether it’s the Linky that trips (you reset it on the meter itself)
    vs

  • the disjoncteur général in your panel (the big main switch).

If it’s happening a lot even with light usage, it’s worth politely pestering the syndic / propriétaire for an electrician.

3. New apartment, new reality: when 6 kVA just won’t do

Our new place is tout électrique:

  • central air/heat (clim réversible),

  • electric hot water tank,

  • induction cooking,

  • oven,

  • washing machine,

  • computer + big screen, TV, etc.

Imagine a hot July afternoon in Aix:

  • A/C running,

  • ballon d’eau chaude reheating after showers,

  • induction cooking dinner,

  • washing machine doing a quick cycle…

At 6 kVA, that’s just asking the meter to fall over. So we’re aiming for 9 kVA.

Here’s the catch for us:

  • The classic state-regulated tariff (Tarif Bleu from EDF) is fine, but not the cheapest anymore.

  • Most of the interesting 9 kVA offers today are market offers, not the regulated rate. Many are only available if you sign up via an online marketplace or comparison tool.(lesfurets)

And Tempo or other time-of-use options sounded clever… until we thought about central A/C and not wanting to schedule our entire life around the grid.

So: 9 kVA, Base (same price all day), market supplier.

Let’s talk numbers.

4. The baseline: state “Tarif Bleu” at 6 kVA

Right now, the regulated EDF Tarif Bleu, option Base, 6 kVA is roughly:

  • Subscription: about 15,47 € / month

  • Energy price: 0,1952 € / kWh (Base, same price 24/7)(Hello Watt)

One comparison site gives this example: for a household using 5,700 kWh/year at 6 kVA Base, you’re looking at around 93 € / month for energy + 15,47 € subscription = about 108 € / month in total.(Fournisseurs d'électricité)

That’s our benchmark:

6 kVA, regulated, simple, but not especially cheap anymore.

Going up to 9 kVA on the regulated tariff mainly means:

  • same kWh price (0,1952 € / kWh),

  • a higher subscription, usually a few euros more per month (around +4–6 €/month compared to 6 kVA, depending on the exact grid and offer).(kelwatt.fr)

So we’d be paying more every month just to stop tripping, without saving on each kWh.

5. What I found on marketplace offers at 9 kVA

Enter: market offers — the ones you see on comparison sites like Hello Watt, JeChange, etc.(Hello Watt)

When I plugged in a 9 kVA, option Base profile similar to ours:

One analysis showed that in November 2025:

  • There were 56 Base offers on the market.

  • 33 of them were cheaper than the regulated tariff.

  • The cheapest Base offer was Fixe -20% from Primeo Energie, with a kWh price about 20% lower than the regulated rate.(JeChange.fr)

A sample of 9 kVA Base offers (numbers evolve, but ballpark):(Hello Watt)

  • Primeo Energie – “Offre Fixe -20 %”

    • Subscription: ~19,39 € / month

    • Energy: 0,1634 € / kWh

  • OHM Energie – “Extra Eco Elec”

    • Subscription: ~21,05 € / month

    • Energy: 0,1772 € / kWh

  • Vattenfall – “Équilibre Verte”

    • Subscription: ~21,66 € / month

    • Energy: 0,1872 € / kWh

  • Mint Energie – “Online & Green”

    • Subscription: ~19,39 € / month

    • Energy: 0,1777 € / kWh

Compare that to Tarif Bleu 6 kVA:

  • 0,1952 € / kWh vs. 0,1634–0,1872 € / kWh on many market offers.(Hello Watt)

Rough savings for a typical “tout électrique” usage

Let’s say you use 7,000 kWh/year in your all-electric Aix apartment:

  • Regulated 6 kVA Base at 0,1952 €/kWh → about 1,366 € / year in energy.

  • Primeo 9 kVA Base at 0,1634 €/kWh → about 1,144 € / year.

That’s ~220 € / year less on the energy part alone.
Even if the subscription is ~4 €/month higher (≈ 48 €/year extra), you’re still roughly 170–180 € ahead per year.

For us, this was the “aha” moment:

I was afraid that going up to 9 kVA would only cost more.
But with the right supplier, we can have more power and a lower bill than our current 6 kVA regulated contract.

Marketplace offers win this round.

(Obligatory reminder: prices change all the time; always check current numbers for your exact situation.)

6. Tempo & time-of-use: why I said “non, merci” (for central A/C)

Tempo is EDF’s famous “three-colour” option:

  • Blue days: cheap

  • White days: normal-ish

  • Red days: do not cook a gratin and take a hot bath at 19h expensive

There are:

  • up to 22 red days per year,

  • all between 1 November and 31 March,

  • never on weekends or public holidays.(Hello Watt)

Idea: you get cheaper electricity most of the year in exchange for very expensive kWh on those cold, red weekdays in winter peaks. Tempo is fantastic if you:

  • can shift heating and heavy use away from red days,

  • or you have alternative heating (wood, gas),

  • and you’re semi-obsessed with checking the colour of each day.

But in our case:

  • hot water = electric

  • heating/cooling = central air (electric)

  • we like to cook in the evening (shocking, I know)

Yes, Aix is more about summer A/C than winter blizzards, but winter evenings can still get cold enough that we’d want the heat on exactly when Tempo says “today is rouge, pay up.”

The thought of planning our showers and comfort around a colour calendar felt like a bit much. So for us:

Base 9 kVA on a cheap market offer beats Tempo with central A/C, both for simplicity and for not having to live in fear of red days.

7. Nuclear, green, “nuclear-only” – what are we actually buying?

Another question I had:

“Can I choose a nuclear-only supplier? Or at least something that reflects what France actually uses?”

Short answer: not really in a literal “only nuclear electrons” sense.

  • In 2024, about 65–67% of electricity produced in France came from nuclear.(EDF FR)

  • Around 95% of French electricity production is low-carbon (nuclear + renewables).(RTE France)

Once electricity is in the grid, your flat in Aix is basically drinking from the same big national smoothie:

  • You can’t get a line that is “only nuclear” or “only wind”.

  • What you can choose is the financial signal you send.

Examples:

  • “Green” offers (Mint, ekWateur, Ilek, Enercoop, etc.) typically buy Guarantees of Origin linked to renewable production, sometimes from small local producers.(lesfurets)

  • Sticking with EDF (even on a market offer like “Zen Online”) essentially supports the historically nuclear-heavy incumbent, and even EDF’s own green-labelled offers still sit on the same grid as everyone else.(Selectra)

So:

  • “Nuclear-only” doesn’t really exist as a retail product.

  • But the French mix you’re getting is already very low-carbon, and your choice of supplier is more about price, customer service, and whether you want to encourage more renewables.

For our new apartment, we prioritised:

  1. 9 kVA Base (stop the blackouts),

  2. Good kWh price (market offer, not TRV),

  3. A supplier that isn’t terrible to deal with by phone/chat in French.

Green label = nice-to-have, but we started with “no more surprise blackouts during dinner.”

8. How to compare offers for your own flat

Here’s my curated little toolkit if you want to do your own comparison:

a) Official government comparator (highly recommended)

The médiateur national de l’énergie runs a free, official comparison site for electricity and gas offers. You can:

  • enter your kWh/year,

  • your puissance (6, 9, 12 kVA, etc.),

  • your option (Base, HP/HC, Tempo),

  • and your postal code (for us: Aix-en-Provence).(comparateur.energie-info.fr)

It then lists all registered offers, including:

  • subscription price

  • kWh price

  • whether it’s indexed to the regulated tariff

  • green/nuclear marketing, etc.

b) Consumer association tools (UFC-Que Choisir)

UFC-Que Choisir also has a paid/registration-based comparator that:

  • shows you potential annual savings,

  • includes their opinion on each supplier (customer service, stability, small-print gotchas).(quechoisir.org)

Good if you want a second opinion beyond official data.

c) Commercial comparison platforms (Hello Watt, Selectra, etc.)

Sites like Hello Watt, Selectra, JeChange let you:

  • compare offers across many suppliers,

  • sometimes sign up directly online,

  • get phone advice (they’re paid by the suppliers, so always double-check).(Hello Watt)

Practical tips when you compare

  • Decide your puissance first.

    • If you have central A/C + electric hot water + induction: 9 kVA is often the realistic minimum.

  • Stick to Base if your schedule is regular and you don’t want to juggle red/blue days or night-only usage.

  • Watch both the kWh price and the subscription.

    • A cheap subscription with a high kWh price can be worse if you use a lot.

  • Check how long the fixed price lasts.

    • “Fixe -20%” is great, but for how many months/years?

  • Read the small print on penalties, deposit, and payment method.

9. Tiny French toolkit for talking about your contract

If you need to phone a supplier (or Enedis) in French, here are a few handy phrases:

  • On a fait sauter le compteur.
    We tripped the meter.

  • Je voudrais passer de 6 kVA à 9 kVA en option base.
    I’d like to change from 6 kVA to 9 kVA on the Base option.

  • Notre appartement est tout électrique, avec climatisation et ballon d’eau chaude.
    Our apartment is all electric, with air conditioning and an electric hot water tank.

  • Est-ce que vous avez une offre de marché plus intéressante que le tarif réglementé ?
    Do you have a market offer that’s more interesting than the regulated tariff?

  • Il y a des coupures fréquentes, même quand on consomme peu.
    There are frequent outages, even when we’re using very little.

Your turn – on papote électricité à Aix 🔌

If you’ve read this far, you probably also have:

  • a Linky that blinks at you menacingly,

  • radiators that are warm-adjacent,

  • and opinions about 6 vs 9 kVA.

Drop a comment on the blog:

  • Which puissance are you on in Aix (or elsewhere in France)?

  • Have you tried Tempo or other time-of-use contracts with A/C or electric heating?

  • Which marketplace suppliers have treated you well (and which ones you’d run from)?

  • Have you ever come home to a mysteriously dark apartment with only the fridge on?

Let’s build a little electricity support group so future arrivals don’t have to learn all of this the hard way, in the dark, holding a candle and swearing in three languages.

For French learners – practice corner (A1 → advanced)

A1 ideas:

  • Practice saying your setup:

    • J’ai un petit appartement à Aix.

    • Le chauffage est électrique.

    • On a souvent des coupures de courant.

A2 ideas:

  • Describe your blackout story in 3–4 sentences:

    • Hier soir, je faisais la cuisine… tout s’est éteint… on a cherché le compteur…

B1 ideas:

  • Explain to a supplier why you need to change contracts:

    • Notre consommation a augmenté parce que l’appartement est tout électrique, donc 6 kVA n’est plus suffisant…

B2 ideas:

  • Compare two offers out loud:

    • Cette offre a un abonnement plus cher mais un kWh moins cher. Sur l’année, je pense économiser environ…

Advanced / C1-C2:

  • Debate with a friend (or in the comments!) about nuclear vs renewables in France, using terms like
    mix énergétique, bas-carbone, garanties d’origine, tarif réglementé, offre de marché.

🧡 Your turn: click to add a comment on the blog.
Tell us: what’s your puissance, which supplier did you choose, and… how many times have you made your own flat go “boom, blackout” so far?

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