Heures creuses: winter timetable from 1 November, and EDF starts a new wave of changes on 4 November. How to find your off-peak hours and what to reset

On 28 October, Service Public updated its page on the heures creuses reform. Heures creuses are the hours when your electricity contract charges a lower rate. Two dates are coming up. From 1 November the winter period begins, so households already on the new hours now get their cheap hours mostly at night. From 4 November EDF starts moving the customers who still have the old hours onto the new system. Here is how it works and what to check.

What heures creuses are

An electricity contract can include the "heures pleines / heures creuses" option. With it, power is cheaper for 8 hours a day and dearer for the rest. The option only pays off if a fair share of your use falls in the cheap hours: washing, dishwashing, water heating, charging an electric car.

The household doesn't choose when those hours fall. They are shown in your contract and in your supplier's customer account, and neighbours on the same street can have different hours.

What is changing

According to Service Public, the reform began in November 2025 and runs until the end of 2027. The old cheap hours in the morning (7:00–11:00) and evening (17:00–23:00) are being phased out. A seasonal pattern replaces them:

• at night: at least 5 consecutive hours between 23:00 and 7:00;
• during the day: up to 3 hours between 11:00 and 17:00;
• in summer (1 April to 31 October), more cheap hours fall in the daytime, when solar output is high;
• in winter (1 November to 31 March), cheap hours are mostly at night, when there is less solar power.

The same page says the winter pattern applies from 1 November.

Who is affected, and when

The Service Public page gives the timetable for EDF customers:

• new EDF customers: since 6 October 2026, the heures creuses option comes with seasonal hours from the start;
• EDF customers moved to new hours between 1 November 2025 and 31 May 2026: nothing changes, as they are already on the new system;
• all other EDF customers: they will get a message, and the switch will happen between 4 November 2026 and 30 November 2027.

The rules don't apply in Corsica or the overseas territories. Customers on the Tempo option aren't affected either.

Do you need to do anything?

There is nothing to apply for. Service Public says that if you are affected, your supplier will tell you your new hours at least one month before they change. You can see your current hours in your supplier's online account (espace client).

Some things are still worth checking yourself. The reform keeps the rule of eight cheap hours a day. What it changes is when those hours fall. If your washing machine, dishwasher or car charger runs on a timer set to the old pattern, it may now be running during hours that cost more.

A common mistake is leaving a timer on the usual evening slot, say 22:00. Under the new rules, the night-time cheap hours fall between 23:00 and 7:00, and the 17:00–23:00 evening slot is being dropped. Check the exact hours for your home in your customer account rather than in general descriptions, because they vary from one home to the next.

What to check now

1. Log in to your supplier's customer account and find your current heures creuses.
2. Look for a letter or message announcing a change, and the date it takes effect.
3. If you already have seasonal hours, remember that the winter ones apply from 1 November.
4. Reset your appliance timers to match your hours.
5. If you rent and the electricity contract is in your name, the notice will come to you, not to the landlord. If the contract isn't in your name, ask whoever holds it what your hours are.

Because the change is rolled out in waves over several years, your neighbours may switch earlier than you. That is not a mistake.

Source: Service Public (DILA), "Heures creuses : les plages horaires évoluent", updated 28 October 2026. This article is general information.