Gas and electricity regularization bills are frequent elements in the daily management of consumers. They are used to adjust the amounts based on true consumption levels. However, it is not uncommon for these regularization invoices to be issued well after the consumption period concerned, thus raising questions about their legitimacy and the threshold beyond which the consumer would no longer be forced to pay them.
The limitation period to take into account
Your energy supplier (electricity or gas) is subject to a maximum period of 14 months to send you a request for invoice regularization. This means that your supplier cannot send you an invoice for consumption before this deadline. However, this obligation does not apply in the following cases (article L224-11 of the consumer code):
- if the supplier cannot access the meter.
- if the consumer does not send the statement of his consumption despite a reminder from the supplier, sent by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.
- if it is fraud.
Consumer rights and remedies
If you disagree, you have several options. As a first step, it is recommended to contact your supplier’s customer service, whose contact details are generally indicated on your invoices or accessible via your online customer area. In accordance with the advice of national energy mediator : if the situation is complex or if you cannot resolve it over the telephone, it is preferable to send a written complaint. In this case, sending registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt is recommended.
If your supplier does not respond to your letter within two months, or if its response does not satisfy you, you have the possibility of contacting the national energy mediator free of charge within a maximum period of ten months. To declare your dispute, you can use the online platform Sollen.
What about unpaid bills?
If you do not pay your bill, the electricity supplier hasa deadline of 2 years to act. This possibility is only given if all deadlines have been met when sending the electricity bill. In this case, the limitation period starts on the day the electricity bill is sent. The authentic date is that entered on this document, according to thearticle L.218-2 of the Consumer Code.