The significant increase in the EDF monthly payment for an EDF reader has generated a lot of comments from MoneyVox readers. Should you pay monthly and pay the same amount each month while waiting for regularization or pay cash for your actual consumption? Both schools have their followers and neither strategy takes precedence over the other. We explain to you.
For more than a year, the energy market has been turned upside down. And in its wake, private bills are racing. Jeanne, a reader of MoneyVox, saw her monthly electricity payment at EDF go from 177 euros to 344 euros. “Same thing for me at EDF with gas. My bill went from 177 euros per month to more than 200 euros,” comments ChGot.
“I don’t understand the point of increasing our monthly payments if it doesn’t represent real consumption since they have to repay the overpayment. Why trigger a panic asks Dualife. The only positive point to the menualisation of its invoice? Smooth out its payments over the year and avoid excessive outflows of money at the time of the annual adjustment invoice.
The advantage of the monthly payment of the invoice
Indeed, with the monthly payment of the bill, the energy consumption is estimated annually, then divided into equal monthly payments over 11 months. At the end of this period, you must either pay the missing amount or EDF will reimburse you if you have paid too much.
The estimate of the amount withdrawn each month is established according to your consumption for the past year, except for the first year when EDF calculates your tariff on the basis of the specificities of your home (surface and age of your accommodation, heating and domestic hot water, electrical appliances and usage habits, etc.).
If necessary, you can modify your EDF monthly payment from your customer area. The incumbent supplier reminds on its website that the modulation can be carried out “once a year, by going directly to your Customer space under the heading My Invoice > Consult and manage the schedule > Modify the schedule”.
The bimonthly invoice, “based on actual figures and not on estimates”
But when you take out an EDF energy contract, you can choose the rate at which you prefer to receive your electricity and/or gas bills. “I gave up the monthly payment because the schedule was more and more often reconsidered by EDF during the year, writes Cadiche. I chose bimonthly invoicing, without regularization. Any unpleasant surprises are thus limited to my consumption over the last two months. »
“It is better to stay (or go back) to billing based on consumption, especially since thanks to Linky (or Gazpar for gas, editor’s note), it is always based on real figures and no longer on eccentric estimates”, supports Pipoux. Indeed, if you have a Linky or Gazpar meter, you can receive a bimonthly invoicetherefore every 2 months, which is calculated from a consumption statement.
If you do not have a smart meter, you will receive about 6 annual bills2 invoices whose amount is calculated from a consumption statement made yourself and 4 invoices calculated from consumption estimates.
“To avoid receiving invoices calculated on the basis of an estimate, I can read my electricity and natural gas indexes on my meters and send these self-readings to my supplier. All suppliers must offer me this service free of charge. Please note that the period during which I can transmit my self-reports is limited”, specifies the energy mediator.
Electricity: these little-known features of the Linky meter to lower your bill
The budget as a justice of the peace
Thanks to the bimonthly system, you therefore pay for what you consume, as you go.. With this option, however, the differences on your bill can be very significant: the amounts soar in winter (November to March) to drop significantly with the summer. This choice depends in particular on your cash flow, because the monthly payment, on the other hand, allows a budget projection over a large part of the year. Conversely, the fortnightly payment reflects household consumption levels and can highlight energy renovation work to be carried out.
Finally, “choosing the monthly payment generally requires paying by direct debit”, underlines the energy ombudsman. The various consumer defense associations advise monthly payments to customers on a tight budget.
Furthermore, a time proposed by energy suppliers, semi-annual and annual billing – one or two bills per year – are no longer offered. At EDF, this billing method was possible for very low electricity consumption, less than 160 euros per year.
Note that a new billing method is emerging. Some suppliers (not EDF or Engie) also offer actual monthly billing via smart meters such as Linky or Gazpar.