Base Rate, Off-Peak Hours, or Tempo: Which Electricity Plan to Choose Before Winter

Nine million three hundred thousand households will see their off-peak hours change by October 2027, and the wave has been underway since this summer. At the same time, the Tempo season 2026-2027 has just restarted with its 22 red days to be reallocated, and the regulated tariff increased on August 1. Three options, three logics, and a decision to make before the first heating bill arrives. We recalculated using the official rates in force. Short verdict: the off-peak option becomes advantageous starting at 25.5% of consumption shifted, and Tempo can cost more than the base tariff for those it is most recommended to.

Let’s begin with what has moved. On August 1, 2026, the regulated tariff framework was revised: the kWh under the base option rose to €0.2001 including tax, and the 6 kVA subscription at €190.32 per year. Tempo season runs from September 1 to August 31: the red-day meter has therefore been reset a few days ago, and none can fall before November 1.

The structural change lies elsewhere. The Energy Regulatory Commission approved in March 2025, as part of the TURPE 7 network usage tariff, a complete overhaul of off-peak hour windows. Of the 14.5 million households on the off-peak / on-peak option, 3.5 million already had compatible schedules. The remaining 11 million switch between November 2025 and October 2027 in a first wave of 1.7 million on November 1, 2025, then 9.3 million in the second half of 2026. The aim is the same as with diffuse load-shedding schemes: to flatten the morning and evening consumption peaks, which have become costly for the network.

This dossier extends two analyses already published here: our cost comparison of heating modes, which deals with the price per usable kWh depending on energy type, and our piece on the profitability of plug-and-play solar kits, whose conclusions shift precisely because of this reform. We had also documented in February the disappointments of the Tempo offer: the calculations that follow explain why they were predictable.

The three options, at official prices as of August 1, 2026

All prices below are VAT inclusive, for a 6 kVA meter, the most common power rating in France and the minimum required to subscribe to Tempo.

The key figure from this table is a single ratio. The kWh during peak hours on a red day costs 3.6 times the base rate. A typical winter day in a house heated by electricity, say 30 kWh consumed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., costs €6 at the base rate and €22 on a red day. Twenty-two times in winter.

The Tempo subscription is marginally cheaper by €0.72 per year. In other words, it hardly influences the decision. Everything hinges on the price of the kWh and your ability to shift consumption.

The off-peak hours reform, in practice

The principle remains the same: eight hours per day at a reduced rate. What changes is their placement. The new rule requires at least five consecutive night hours, and allows moving three hours to the afternoon within the 11 a.m.–5 p.m. window.

The seasonality is the real novelty, and it makes sense. From April 1 to October 31, a portion of the off-peak hours slides toward the middle of the day, when French solar production saturates the grid and wholesale prices drop. From November 1 to March 31, the eight hours cluster at night, because winter afternoons are precisely when consumption rises.

You don’t have to do anything. The switch is applied remotely by the Linky meter, including for controlling the hot water heater. Your supplier must notify you at least one month in advance, by letter or email. If you haven’t received anything, your turn hasn’t come yet or your hours were already compliant.

A point of vigilance not included in official communications: if you manually scheduled devices on your old delayed-start washing machine, charging station, electrically heated radiators controlled by a programmable outlet, these schedules do not update automatically. The meter follows the off-peak signal, your timer does not. This kind of detail can cause full-price usage during peak hours for six months without you realizing it.

The 25.5% threshold

Here’s the calculation that comparators never publish in this form, even though it answers the only question that matters: from what point does the off-peak option become advantageous?

With both subscriptions identical at €190.32, the answer depends only on the share of consumption you can shift. The off-peak option makes you pay €0.0141 more per kWh in peak hours, and saves you €0.0412 per kWh in off-peak hours. The break-even point falls at 25.5% of annual consumption during off-peak hours. Below that, you pay more than with the base. Above that, you gain.

Look at the right-hand column before rejoicing. Even shifting 45% of annual consumption to off-peak hours — which would assume a water heater scheduled, a washing machine and a dishwasher routinely run at night, and ideally an electric car charged at night — the gain tops €97 per year for a house heated by electricity. It’s real, it’s not negligible, but it’s far from the promises of some comparison pages.

A home without an electric water heater and without decoupled heavy appliances barely reaches 20%. For that kind of home, the off-peak option is a pure loss, unnoticed year after year. That’s the most common scenario in urban apartments, often equipped with a heat pump or communal hot water production.

Tempo: the calculation nobody does honestly

All Tempo simulations found online rely on the same implicit assumption: steady consumption spread uniformly over the year. They invariably conclude savings of €150–€200 per year. That assumption is exactly wrong for the population for whom Tempo is most recommended.

The red days are not randomly chosen. EDF positions them on network stress days, i.e., the coldest days. Or a house heated by electricity consumes precisely more on those days. The highest rate of the grid falls on your days of highest consumption. It’s not a flaw in design, it’s the purpose of the scheme, but no uniform-day simulations capture it.

We recalculated for a 9,000 kWh/year home heated by electricity, distributing 65% of consumption over the 151 winter days, which matches a typical profile. The assumptions are modeled, not meter-read: to be taken as a reasoned order of magnitude, not a bill.

The gap between the second and last line exceeds €500. In other words, Tempo is not a pricing option; it’s a behavioral commitment. Twenty-two times per winter you must reduce heating, shift appliances, avoid the oven, and postpone charging the vehicle. If you do it, the savings are substantial. If you don’t because you telework, because there are children at home, because the red day falls on a −5 °C day, you pay more than the ordinary tariff.

The color for tomorrow is announced every day around 11 a.m. That’s the only official information; everything circulating beforehand is weather forecasting. At most five red days in a row, never on Sundays or national holidays, and never between April 1 and October 31.

The counterintuitive result: Tempo suits smaller consumers better

Re-run the same calculation for a 3,500 kWh/year apartment with no electric heating, and the ranking reverses. Base: €891. Off-peak hours at 35%: €872. Tempo, with regular consumption: €832.

The reason is arithmetic. A dwelling that does not rely on electric heating consumes the same amount on a red day as on a blue day. Its consumption on the 22 red days accounts for roughly 6% of the yearly total, and the 300 blue days offer the cheapest kWh on the regulated market, at €0.1654 per kWh in peak hours versus €0.2001 for base. The risk is low, the gain is structural.

That is the exact opposite of the advice you often read. Tempo is almost always presented as the option for homes heated by electricity, capable of “modulating.” Yet it is precisely those homes that bear the most risk. A studio, a gas-heated apartment, or a well-insulated dwelling easily absorbs red days without noticing them. The gain remains modest — about sixty euros per year for the constraint of checking a daily color, which remains a real constraint.

Four profiles, four answers

Apartment, collective or gas heating, communal hot water. Stay on base, or switch to Tempo if the idea of tracking a daily color doesn’t bother you. The off-peak option is the wrong choice: you will never reach 25.5%. Expected gain with Tempo: €50 to €60 per year.

House heated with electricity, daytime presence in winter. Off-peak option, and nothing else. Tempo is a trap in this configuration: red days will hit your consumption peaks and you won’t be able to avoid them. Aim for a 35–40% shift thanks to the water heater and appliances. Expected gain: €50 to €75 per year.

House heated with electricity, home empty during the day, controllable. This is the only profile where Tempo delivers its promise. A programmable thermostat and a water heater linked to it are enough to absorb red days. Expected gain: €280 to €365 per year, provided you manage 22 red days.

Electric vehicle charged at home. Off-peak hours option systematically, whatever the rest. A full recharge represents 40–70 kWh: by itself it pushes you over the 25.5% threshold without any effort. Tempo becomes interesting as a complement, but only with a programmable charger capable of skipping red slots.

What doesn’t work, and what they keep selling you

The idea that the off-peak option is always advantageous is the most widespread and costly. It is false below 25.5% decoupling, and the majority of households without electric water heaters fall below that. The extra cost is painless because it’s diffuse: €0.0141 on every kWh during peak hours, never visible on a bill line.

Second assumption: changing option would be expensive or slow. Switching from one option to another is carried out remotely on a Linky meter, with no intervention or charges in most cases. The only friction point concerns Tempo, whose subscription still most often goes by phone rather than through the customer area.

Third: the race for an alternative supplier. Market offers indexed to the regulated tariff promise 5 to 10% off the kWh, i.e., a few tens of euros per year for an average household. Choosing the right tariff option weighs more than choosing the right supplier, and it’s free. Start there.

The three actions that really matter

The electric water heater remains the number one lever. It typically accounts for 800–1,000 kWh per year for an individual, and it is the only fully shiftable item without any behavioral effort. Check that it is properly controlled by the off-peak signal: on many old installations, the contactor stayed in “forced on” after a power outage, and no one ever set it back to “auto.”

Next comes the heating programming, and that’s where a connected thermostat pays off: lowering by one degree represents about 7% less consumption, and zoning control prevents heating an empty home for eight hours a day. On a 9,000 kWh house, one degree is worth more than switching to the off-peak option.

Finally, if you generate your own electricity, the reform changes your calculation. Moving off-peak hours to the 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. slot in summer lowers the network price right when your panels produce the most — which reduces the appeal of a storage battery. We detailed this calculation in the balcony solar kits dossier, and the Jackery SolarVault 3 Pro Max test we conducted in the Paris region gives the order of magnitude of real self-consumption.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will my off-peak hours change?

Between the second half of 2026 and October 2027 for the 9.3 million households in the second wave. Your supplier must notify you at least one month in advance, by letter or email. The switch is automatic via the Linky meter, with no intervention or charges.

From what point is the off-peak option profitable?

From 25.5% of annual consumption realized during off-peak slots, at the August 1, 2026 rates. Below that, the base option is cheaper. A programmed electric water heater generally suffices to cross this threshold; without it, it’s difficult.

Tempo is it profitable if I’m home during the day in winter?

No, in most cases. The red days fall on the coldest days, the days when an occupied home consumes the most, and the kWh costs 3.6 times the base rate. Without real ability to reduce consumption on those days, Tempo can cost more than the base option.

How many red days remain this season?

The Tempo season 2026-2027 began on September 1 with 22 red days available. None can be placed before November 1 or after March 31, nor on a Sunday or a national holiday. The color for the following day is announced each day around 11 a.m.

Can I switch options mid-year?

Yes. Switching tariff options is carried out remotely on a Linky meter, with no charges in most cases and no commitment. It’s the quickest lever to save money, and it costs nothing.

Should I reprogram my devices after the schedule change?

Yes, for anything you control yourself: delayed-start for the washing machine, programmable outlets, charging station. The meter updates the off-peak signal and the linked water heater, but not your timers. It’s the most common mistake after a switch.

Verdict

Three options, and a simple decision hierarchy. First check whether you have an electric water heater and whether you regularly charge a vehicle at home: if yes, the off-peak option is given to you, you cross the threshold without thinking. If not, stay on base rather than paying an invisible surcharge all year.

Tempo deserves consideration, but not for those it’s pitched to. It suits homes whose consumption does not spike when it’s cold — apartments, non-electricity-heated homes, well-insulated houses, and truly controllable and day-emptied homes. It is risky elsewhere, and that risk is not theoretical: it materializes 22 times per winter, at the worst moments.

A final reference point to gauge the stakes. The best Tempo scenario saves €366 per year on our typical home. Dropping the thermostat by one degree saves around €140 on the same home, without checking any color. The choice of tariff option matters, but it comes after insulation and heating control. We would have liked for comparators to say this as clearly.