Cancelling a French electricity or gas contract: deadlines and letter

Quick answer

For households, French electricity and gas contracts have no commitment period: cancellation is free, unrestricted and immediate, at any time. If you switch supplier at the same home, it is the new supplier who cancels the old contract — you just provide a meter reading. You only need a registered letter with return receipt for a poorly processed move, a dispute or a contested closing bill.

The energy market is open to competition: you can switch supplier or cancel whenever you want, free of charge. Most steps are done online, but some situations call for solid written proof. Here is how to proceed.

1. Tell the three situations apart

• You switch supplier (same home): don't cancel anything yourself. Sign up with the new supplier, give them your PDL/PCE and a reading — they cancel the old contract automatically, with no interruption.
• You are moving: you must cancel your contract for the old home (the contract is tied to you, not the home) and sign up for a new contract at your new address.
• You cancel without taking a new contract (sale of the home, death, vacant home): request cancellation, stating the date and reading.

2. The essential information

For any cancellation, prepare:

• your customer number and the contract reference;
• your delivery point: the PDL (electricity) or the PCE (gas), a 14-digit number shown on your bill;
• the exact address of the home concerned;
• a meter reading at the desired end date;
• a bank details slip (RIB) for the refund of any overpayment.

3. Cancel online or in writing?

Most suppliers accept cancellation via the customer area, phone or email. That's quick and enough in simple cases. But as soon as money or a dispute risk is involved, the registered letter with return receipt is essential: it proves the date of your request and the content of your reading, which a call cannot.

4. Cancellation letter template

Subject: Cancellation of my [electricity / gas] contract — no. [reference]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I request the cancellation of my [electricity / gas] supply contract no. [reference], for the home located at [address], delivery point no. [PDL / PCE].

The cancellation is to take effect on [date]. On that date, my meter reading is as follows: [index / reading].

Please send me a closing bill matching this reading and refund any overpayment to the account whose bank details are enclosed.

Yours faithfully,

[Date — Signature]

5. Contesting a closing bill

If your final bill is based on a wrong estimate or a false index:

• compare it with your actual reading at the end date;
• send a complaint (registered letter with return receipt) with the correct reading and a photo of the meter;
• if the supplier holds its position, refer the matter to the national energy ombudsman (free) after a written complaint left unanswered or unsatisfactorily answered.

For a sum wrongly claimed and not refunded, a formal notice may be needed.

Left France or managing a home from a distance? MaisonMail can print and send your cancellation or complaint letter by registered mail with return receipt to your supplier. The origin market, delivery times, tracking and the return receipt are confirmed before payment.

6. Common mistakes

• Cancelling yourself for a mere supplier switch: pointless and risks an interruption — let the new supplier handle it.
• Forgetting the meter reading: without an index, the closing bill will be estimated, often to your disadvantage.
• Confusing the contract and the home: the energy contract does not transfer automatically when you move.
• Relying on a call alone in a dispute: no provable date.
• Ignoring the energy ombudsman: this free recourse unblocks many disputes.

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In short: cancelling a French electricity or gas contract is free and immediate. A simple supplier switch needs no letter — the new supplier handles it. Save the registered letter with return receipt for poorly handled moves, double billing and contested closing bills, where the date of your request and your meter reading make the difference.