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Moving to France
France, as a very near neighbour of the UK, has many similarities which, when combined with its natural advantages such as the beautiful countryside, a warm, sunny climate, excellent food and wine, appealingly low property prices and friendly people, make it extremely attractive to British people who want to either own a holiday home overseas or make a full time move to a more relaxed lifestyle (Life in France).
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Language problems in France
Yes, the language is different, and this can indeed cause some problems for we linguistically challenged Brits, but manfully we struggle on (Learning French). (A favourite joke from my children, who, of course, speak fluent French now, goes something like this... "What do you call a man who speaks two languages? Bi lingual. What do you call a man who speaks three languages? Tri lingual. And one who speaks many languages? Multi lingual. So what do you call a man who speaks only one language? Of course... English.")
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Electrics in France
The lure of France is too great for the little differences to deter us. There are, however, several "little" differences other than language that may make us pause for thought. They are certainly far from insurmountable, but they need to be considered as part of the learning curve, perhaps, and given due consideration! One such is electricity or the electrics in France.
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Understanding electrics and wiring in France
If you are renovating (House Renovations in France) or building a new property in France, then electricity in some form or other is almost bound to feature. If you are buying a property that is fully ready to live in, requiring nothing other than maintenance, you may be lucky... but chances are that at some point, even you will experience some sort of electrics problem that needs fixing, and if you have some understanding of the way things work it can save you money and further problems in the future.
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There are key differences with electrics in France
At this point you may also be thinking; "But I will simply call an electrician, what do I need to know?" Perhaps you have a point... but maybe it would still be helpful if you could explain what the problem is, to enable the electrician to turn up equipped to solve it for you. There are also some key differences in the way that electric power is supplied and delivered in France from the way it is in the UK, and knowledge of these can actually help you to avoid problems.
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Electrics in France - the differences
Unless you are planning to wire or rewire an entire house yourself (not advisable unless you are a trained electrician who is thoroughly "au fait" with French electrical practice), the following snippets of information should give you an essential armoury to cope with the electric basics:
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Sockets and plugs in France
Perhaps the first and most obvious difference that you will be aware of is that the plugs are completely different in France from in the UK. In the UK, you will probably have been used to square shaped plugs that have three pins, whereas in France you will find the plugs are of two different types, with only two visible pins. One type is small and flat, and these do not contain an earth. The other type is bulkier, still with only two visible pins, but these contain a hidden earth. The sockets need to correspond to the plug type.
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Electrics and wiring in plugs in France
Within a plug of the type known in the UK, you will usually find three wires. These are a brown one (live), a blue one (neutral), and a yellow and green one, which is the earth. The brown wire (live) always goes to the live side of the plug, where the fuse is found. In France, it is not so straightforward. The colours are the same, which is a start, but the blue and the brown wires can lead to either side of the plug. The earth lead is also almost always missing. The other thing that you might notice, is that there is no fuse. It saves you having to learn how to change one anyway!
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Electric power supply in France
Electricity in France is supplied by EDF. When you buy your property you are able to stipulate the kilowattage of electricity supply you require. This is usually set at one of the following levels: 6kw, 9kw, 12kw or 15kw. Your standing charges will reflect this, these levels being the amount that your household will draw from the National Grid. It is important to be aware that the amount of electricity you choose to receive will not only affect the amount you pay, but also the way in which you can use it. (Connecting utilities (water, gas, electricity, telephone and sewage) in France.)
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Power supplies can be upgraded
Houses which are on a low supply may be unable to sustain modern electrical equipment, and people who have bought old properties to renovate often report being unable to boil a kettle without activating the circuit breaker if a light is switched on at the same time! If you have bought such a property, you will almost certainly need to apply to have the supply upgraded.
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Electric showers and power supply in France
Nigel Green, an electrician working in the Aude (Aude Property Guide) and Ariège (Ariège Property Guide) departments of southern France (Property in the south of France, South-west France Property), has a cautionary note to add on this subject. He has found that electric power showers, so beloved of many Brits, step up the power requirement considerably, and strongly advises against installing them.
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Do electrical goods bought in the UK work in France?
Most modern electrical appliances such as televisions (Television in France and French TV), stereos, washing machines and microwaves can be brought from the UK and installed in France with no more than a simple change of plug. (There are certain considerations regarding circuit breakers, but these will be discussed in the next section.) It is possible to obtain converters, but these should really be regarded as a temporary measure. It is not, however, a good idea to bring wire, switches, or sockets from the UK. The specification of these is different from that in France, and the two are not compatible.
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Electrics and wiring systems in France
The way in which houses are wired is also different in France. French houses are wired using a point to point electrical pattern rather than the loop (ring main) that we are used to in the UK. The system in France involves a series of spurs running from a distribution box. Most of these can support several sockets and fittings, but large household appliances such as washing machines, hot water tanks or dish washers must have their own individual spur.
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Circuit breakers in France
It is necessary to have a circuit breaker that can supply up to a maximum of eight sockets if you use 2.5 mm cable, or up to a maximum of five sockets if you use 1.5 mm cable. For the lighting, it is necessary to have a circuit breaker for up to a maximum of eight light points using 1.5mm cable. A light point is defined as any connection on the wall, ceiling or in the ground where a light fitting could be connected.
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Electrics and earth connections in France
In France, the householder has the responsibility of ensuring that the property has a properly connected "earth", as unlike in the UK this is not part of the package when you arrange for connection to the national supply. The usual way of fulfilling this requirement is to have an independent earth connection which is connected to an earthing rod buried in the garden.
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Electrics for big building projects in France
If you are building your new French home from scratch, and starting from a bare plot (Land for Sale in France), what is the best way to get electricity to the site for your project? Clearly you are going to need electricity to run such vital items as cement mixers and power tools, so how can you achieve this? David Hamilton, an English architect, has just finished a big project in France, which has involved both the renovation of old buildings and some new build (New build property in France), to create a house for himself in southern France. Since this house occupies an enviable but distinctly rural location, David is well placed to comment on the ins and outs of obtaining electrical supplies to remote places. He has the following useful (and typically pithy) advice to offer:
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"Generators, transformers and pylons
The normal procedure for remote sites is to use a generator (or two) to power mixers, festoon lighting, tools etc. The higher the output capacity, the more kit it can supply simultaneously, but it consumes more diesel and you will need transformers. All excavation, trenching, dozing etc. is by diggers. The client, through their agent or builder, applies to the shipper (EDF) for a supply. EDF visit the site and price a plan of work e.g.: one LV transformer, fifteen pylons, 450 metres of LV cable and a pillar, and give a date for installation subject to receipt of deposit. You can request timber pylons rather than concrete ones, though EDF can forget that this choice has been made.
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Electricity supply and pillars in France
No supply up to the pillar will be interred rurally, and the pillar must be no more than 25 metres from the house intake and consumer unit if the cable to them is to be trenched. This is relevant if you don't want cables dangling around and up to your house. EDF's responsibility is to the pillar, the client's responsibility is from the pillar to the house. Once EDF's supply to the pillar is installed, the builder will then take a supply from it for his lighting and tools which will allow him to off-hire the generator, stop supplying fuel, and transfer the cost of running his site/tools/power/light to the client, even if he has priced it separately in his prelims, one to watch out for at final account."
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Electrics and wiring in thunder and electrical storms in France
Once you are all wired up and connected to EDF, and settling down to enjoy your French home, there are still one or two things that you should be aware of. France, in particular in the mountainous regions (of which there are many!), is susceptible to some spectacular thunder and electrical storms (Ski Chalets for Sale in France). Whilst these can be more entertaining than French television, they bring with them potential electrical problems, in that French electrical systems are prone to lightening strikes. To avoid difficulties, if you do not have a special protector fitted to your distribution box you should unplug electrical equipment such as telephones, computers and televisions during violent storms.
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Use a qualified electrician to sort out your electrics and wiring in France
If your renovation or building project in France is a major one, you are advised to use the services of a qualified and registered electrician. It can be dangerous and difficult to tinker with electrical systems that you are not completely certain of, and a qualified electrician will probably be able to save you money by avoiding problems. Check, as ever when employing craftsmen, that the electrician you choose has a Siret number proving that he is registered to work in France, as this will not only be your guarantee of quality and conformity to the French norm, NF C15-100, but will also protect you from a possible hefty fine if you are caught employing a tradesman who is working "on the black" (that is, not paying into the French system). (Jobs in France.)
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Doing your own electrics in France?
Finally, it is also worth mentioning that if you do decide to do work on the electrics yourself, at the time of writing, this is possible, with no certificate or check needed by a qualified electrician once you have finished, as is necessary now in the UK. However, things are changing all the time, and this may well not be the case in the future. At the very least, electrics will most probably have to be checked when a property is sold, these checks possibly running along similar lines to those checks that are currently done for termites and woodworm.
Additional articles which may be of interest:
Septic tanks in France
Surveyors in France
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About the author
Joanna Simm moved to the Languedoc area of south-west France in October 2004 having found her property through French Property Links.
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your questions...
1. A question about how to sort EDF problems (added 13/8/09)...
I have just seen your site. We are having enormous problems with EDF. Too much to mention here. Is there anyone in France who can help us to reach a resolution with crazy behaviour. European Parliament is talking of an investigation.
Jo Rhodes, editor of French Property Links replies...
Thanks for contacting us. As you don't mention the extent of the problems you have with EDF, I am not quite sure how far down the line you have gone, so I apologise in advance if the following suggestions are not quite what you had in mind.
Firstly, if there is a problem with language, perhaps you could try the English-speaking EDF helpline, which can be called from within and outside France. The number, from the UK, is 00 33 (0)5 62 16 49 08.
Then there are companies offering services in France, such as help with utility connections as well as consumer disputes. Perhaps one of these companies may be able to help? (Eg: Help In France (www.help-in-france.co.uk).)
Or you could try asking advice from one of the electricians on our site:
http://www.frenchpropertylinks.com/memberscat.asp?category=ELECTRICAL
Finally, if it is legal advice you are wanting, you could try asking a legal advisor from the following page on our site:
http://www.frenchpropertylinks.com/frenchlegalservices.htm
I hope one or some of these suggestions might help with your problems.
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