Hi, we are due to have a rewire done shortly as the electrics are outdated and possibly condemned as we have no power at the moment I have been ringing EDF’S contact number without success albeit from the UK I have also emailed them with no reply as yet, I would be very happy if anyone could advise on the protocol for opening an account with EDF and getting power on and a Linky fitted as our electrician is due to start the job this month.
perhaps the electrician can arrange something for you…
I know of one situation where the contractor had a temporary “meter”/whatever placed by EDF… then when the work was complete the supply was moved/transferred to the property…
by which time the owner was avalable to sign the new EDF contract…
or… perhaps the electrician can advise you… or act as a go-between and chat with EDF on your behalf.
EDF have an English help line just google it Today was as a bank holiday
Thanks Stella
sounds like an option we could use, I dont want to make the job any more difficult for the spark than it need be if I can help it.
Thanks Steve
I’ll re google it, I must have missed it somewhere along the line.
I’m also wondering why your sparks needs electricity in situ to rewire the place.
I’ve been onsite to translate when EDF have come to link the cable from the pole in the road to a renovated property…
all new wiring was already in place in the property, just waiting for the arrival of power and the new meter… and final internal connections (by the sparks).
the siting of the meter/house connection was discussed with the EDF men/planners who came to view the job… a few days before the EDF techniciens actually slung the new cables etc…
it would be useful for your sparks to have an idea of where electricity will arrive… although this might be obvious…
You may find this article that I wrote to be useful…
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Thanks I’ll get my partner to check out FB as I dont have an account, re the need for a supply the electrician hasn’t said he needs it but it would make the job easier for him regarding work lights and power tools, there is a connection to the property so we have picked the fusebox location which is near the existing supply the issue we have is that there is no power to the existing consumer unit/fusebox maybe for 15 years or more.
in our village, when work is being done on properties wth no power… some artisans use battery-operated tools but there’s often a generator on the go…
OK, here’s the text anyway.
A recent conversation on another FB page prompts me to publish the following information about how to get power on at a renovation in France:
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The property has had an electricity supply in the past, & there is a meter present - you open a new permanent supply contract with an energy provider e.g. EDF, Engie, etc. You need to know the PDL (Point de Livraison) number, which should be traceable via the previous owner’s bills. In this instance the state of the old installation is of no consequence to getting a supply switched on, though it is most definitely of concern to the user!
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The property has had power in the past but not from a supply that is currently on the premises (i.e. the property has been split off from a larger one). This means that the existing installation will have to pass an inspection by CONSUEL before a new permanent supply can be connected.
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The premises has never had an electrical installation - the property requires a new installation that then has to pass a CONSUEL check, as 2 above. This can equally apply to a property which has had the meter & cut out removed - it ceases to exist as a “branchement” at that point.
In both cases 2 & 3 you need to approach ENEDIS to get a price to create a new permanent electrical supply (“branchement définitif”) for the property. Whatever your immediate approach to get power is I strongly advise that you get this sorted sooner rather than later as you will then know what you are dealing with. Sometimes there are local grid issues which means that what seems like an easy connection is anything but (with a subsequent increase in cost…). Another bonus of doing this early is that if it involves any ground works (digging a trench…) you could use that excavation to get some 25mm² (or larger) bare copper wire in the ground to create your earth connection (domestic supplies in France do not have an earth terminal provided by the grid).
If case 2 or 3 applies you will have to get some temporary power connected in order to carry out renovation works to the property. Until you have a credible electrical installation to be inspected a new permanent supply cannot be switched on.
If you only need occasional power (odd power tools, site kettle) then a generator might be a cost effective option. However, if you need a more constant supply to keep a fridge cold, need lots of temporary lighting, &/or need to constantly charge cordless tools, then getting a temporary building site (“chantier”) supply is more civilised. If your need for it is over 28 days (!) you need to apply to an energy supplier to organise that. EDF are the best bet in this instance as they still have a big tie up with ENEDIS as they were once one company. This is best organised via ‘phone - use +33 9 69 32 15 15. If you have information about the nearest neighbour (name, address, PDL if you can get it) that is helpful for them to locate your premises.
Unless you want to rent a temporary meter box from EDF (which will get pricey over time) I recommend you buy a suitable one from one of the many online suppliers. I recommend Toulouselec but there are others to be found. You can choose exactly the spec you need - mono or tri, earth stake or not, ground or overhead connection, wall, pole or stand mounted etc. There are many available second hand as it’s standard practice to sell them once you have your permanent power.
A temporary supply box will be sited as close as possible to the point of connection to the grid. This could be some distance away but if you’ve had your “branchement définitif” installed (as advised above) EDF will use that as their point of connection. If you are having a Type 2 mains installation (see below*) that connection point will be at the edge of your property; rather than stringing temporary cables across the ground it’s always best to use the private underground mains cable (that you will have to install anyway) to carry the supply to the house, where it can be connected to a temporary distribution board & ultimately to the full system as it appears.
To be clear about temporary supplies….they are for up to a year - I always advise that you ask for that from day one. It is possible to extend them, but do so in good time - never let them cut you off as you will have to apply again, & will get charged the connection fee again. Also a “chantier” supply is intended for exactly that, a building site supply. If your supplier gets wind that such a supply is being used for any other purpose (such as living in the property) they are at liberty to disconnect it (& they do). Yes, plenty of people do live in their ongoing renovations, but don’t make it obvious if you do.
*A footnote about supply types
ENEDIS (the entreprise that manages the domestic grid in France) install their meter & main breaker (“disjoncteur de branchement”) in one of two places.
A Type 1 installation means that you can have the meter & main disjoncteur inside the property. This is only allowed if the cable length from the box that houses ENEDIS’s main fuses (the “coffret de connexion”) to the meter inside is 30 metres or less. The client is allowed to dig the connecting trench & provide the 75mm minimum diameter red flexible conduit (“gaine”) that they require, but ENEDIS use their own cable inside it.
A Type 2 installation is obligatory when the cable length mentioned above is over 30 metres (or you can opt for it even if Type 1 is possible). For Type 2 ENEDIS will place their meter & disjoncteur in a box next to their “coffret de connexion” on the property boundary. From that point on everything is the client’s responsibility - trench, gaine & cable. If the distance from the meter to the main distribution board in the property is long you can be faced with quite a high cost for the larger size of cable that will be required to keep volt drop within the 2% demanded by regulations.
My new place was fully wired to go and I had to live without any electricity and water for three weeks until they could come and connect to the supply. The electrician then returned to check everything worked, fit the radiators and cover plug sockets etc, same with the shutter people to confirm they worked and also the electrician could then finish the pompe chaleur and AC etc. The work can be done ready before any contract with EDF/Engie/Enedis is done, I can proove that!
Has anyone on the forum actually started a new contract with EDF from abroad??
I’ve wandered around the subject but not actually answered the question… asked by the OP… 
silly me
I’m sure that we did, using the English helpline but it was 7 years ago now so I don’t recall precisely, it was also just take over existing supply/upgrade abonnement - not a completely new supply.
In fact it must have been from the UK because we needed a RDV for a new meter along with the increased power limit, and that was all organised for either the handover day or the first “full week” visit a month later.
ah… you were in France for the important bits…
For the RDV to change the meter, yes - but had push come to shove I’m sure we could have found someone to let the technician in.
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what about signing EDF documents/contracts did you do that online???
Thanks all, scenario 1 definitely applies to our position so I’ll be chasing the previous owner for a PDL, I’ve tried creating a new account online with EDF only to get a message stating an account is already set up for the property and the EDF English speaking helpline just rings out continuously , the estate agent involved in the sale has offered to help with contacting EDF so hopefully we will get there in the end.
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It’s so long ago that I don’t recall but I don’t think putting pen to paper was involved. It was all by phone.
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Obviously our contracts with EDF were before phones were invented… 
provided proof of this and that… sign here, there …and everywhere… and we spoke/met real people…
hmm… it’s true I am 100 years old.
As the phone was invented in 1849 and EDF sprang into being some 97 years later in 1946 that would have been challenging 
I suspect, in our case, the previous owner had annulled his contract so it was a fairly straightforward takeover of supply. Had it not been for wanting to increase from 6kVA to 12kVA at the same time we probably would not have needed a visit at all.