After the last few days of grey and damp we have blue bits above and sunshine from time to time. 
Glad I did, only 15c in the kitchen / living. 
1 Like
Here too, bitter, well not so much here but nearly. Down in the valley the north wind is freezing. I drove the dogs to the river field for our walk because I wanted to leave the car outside the gates afterwards. We have another bumper meal going on at the bar this evening and it saves me juggling doors to keep the dogs in the house 'till I get the car out.
1 Like
Just got back, 11.30, what a great night, but another sore throat as we all had to shout to make ourselves heard. The table of 14 next to us all sat down to eat at 10.30. 
Why do French people talk so loudly? 
1 Like
Because they all talk at the same time, trying to be heard. You should try going to a conseil municipal meeting
1 Like
It’s not just the French - I go to a business networking breakfast group in Farnham and the racket they (we!) make is unbelievable!
… we have yet more grey and damp. The valley has been vaguely vague with mist all the while.
They’ve gone and set another red day tomorrow [Mon]! Looks like they’re going to use up all the red days for '24 in one extortionate go!
And it is extortion. Look at the diff between red and white
I have established that the 'stat on the rad is malfunctioning. 16C is the new 18C. But, try as I might - and on those red days I certainly have tried - it looks like a premium of €10+ on red days.
No one is forcing you to use the tempo tarif. Go back to the base tarif if you don’t like it ( or stop moaning).
1 Like
Yes, but of course my question was made in jest as I have been a member of, not a commune council, but a Committee de Fete and I felt the same problem there and at least a third of us were from the offshore island. 
Your figures look alarmingly high to me, @captainendeavour . My blue days usually cost between 1,50€ and 2,00€. My red days are generally about 3,00€ to 3,50€ as I try to avoid as many mains-powered electrical devices as possible.
Wiw you’re good! My blue days are about 3 and red 6/6.50
I am wondering if :
(1) EDF knows enough about the weather in January and February, to be sure they only need to hold back relatively few extra Jours Rouges as no excess cold weather ahead, or
(2) Having had a lot of Jours Rouges left over at the end of the period when they can impose them last year, so at least 2 or 3 were just ‘wasted’ on relatively good days near the end… Could they be playing a new game this year?
As in … use them all up asap, then complain to the government that only 22 Jours Rouges isn’t enough, and ask for a higher number of Jours Rouges from next year ?
I do recall a civil service client asking me to help them spend leftover budget by the end of the year, saying " If we don’t spend it all, they can say we don’t need it and our budget will be cut". Wondering if EDF thinks they might have made that mistake last year, and is at least making sure this year.
1 Like
Here’s our’s, heat source wood burner, cooking on wood burner, morning brew made with electric kettle, mid morning & afternoon tea / coffee kettle on the wood burner for hot water, house lighting, cellar garden lighting on a timer from 2pm til mid night, laptop computer with 16" screen with 2 x 27" & 1 x 23" screens, Mrs W computer + lighting when painting / drawing etc, Hot water tank programmed to 65° max on timer coming on from 10.30 pm til 5.30am. Frigde freezer, freezer & MrsW watches something on the 55" Tv in the afternoons sometimes.
Very similar to ours!
As others have said, if this doesn’t suit you, because you prefer to have your electricity consumption priced more evenly throughout the year, then go back to a “normal” tariff.
It is not extortion - it is demand control pricing. EDF in fact need people to bring their consumption down on cold days and think about what they are using their electricity for - so these are NOT the days for using the washing machine / the tumble dryer / the dishwasher / the electric air fryer / the coffee machine / the extra electric heater / the water heater and so on. Some people control their consumption to an extreme and go out for the day to a nice warm shopping centre. Others are just sensible and keep their consumption as low as possible whilst still having a comfortable life.
So, you just need to look at what your 17-20€ is being used for and whether you can turn off some of those pieces of kit. Is your water heater on during the day? Do you have an electric cooker / oven / air fryer / etc. How about just using a microwave? Or reheating a stew on a gas stove? And so on. It is not rocket science. And you can then revel in how low your electricity prices are on blue days.
For us, Tempo is ideal - for our gite. We do not open our gite in winter, so we never suffer from red days and we get all the benefits of the low price of blue days during our season.
I am sure if you google, you can see price comparisons based on the equipment you have and when you have it on. That will tell you what is the best solution for you. You may be surprised at how well Tempo does in any such comparison.
1 Like
Exactly - being on Tempo has made me think much more carefully about my electricity consumption.
Guilty as charged
1 Like
We are duper careful on red days but I do get annoyed when they are on Fridays as I have to move pizza night . The small wasn’t impressed so we did Coronas idea of pan cooking for him. He loved it but he likes his cheese pale. We waited for last night!!
1 Like
@toryroo The 1st or 2nd red day I was away on business this is Mrs W on her own being careful & fancied a home-cooked pizza 
2 Likes
Possibly cheaper to get a take-away!
3 Likes
Sue I appreciate your helpful comments as opposed to some of the finger wagging I’ve had. Thank you
I don’t use 1/2/5/6 on a Red day. I don’t have 3/4.
Being a soltero I do a wash on average once a fortnight [I have an absurd number of T-shirts/u.wear/sox etc]. The prog I use is <1 hr.
Like another of the SFistas I put washing out on a line in any weather not actually rainy. It then gets tolerably dry with a short tumble dry.
As for the water heater it was explained to me by pro electrician Hairbear how that works via Linky. Clearly I must do something to change it’s function/programme.
I have an induction hob and a table top oven used very occasionally as a grill - usually 15-20 mins, not as an oven - time of 1hr+
I gave up using the main oven - I did debate whether to even replace the one that died - and the mini oven to roast a whole chicken or do pizza because it wasn’t a justifiable expense for one person.
I don’t have a gas stove. I can/do reheat stuff in th m/wave.
I think the problem must lie with the balon programme and it’s temp setting and the just-discovered fact that the one rad I use has now - just this past week with its string of reds! - has a thermostat that ‘thinks’ 16C is 18C/19C.
As they’re just numbers not directly related to reality I can use 16C as I used to use 18C
I have a 500W towel rad that is on - when its 'stat turns it on - 24/24 because without it the tiny salle d’eau is horribly clammy. I also put clothes on it - night wear and day wear as appropriate - because without being kept dry and fresh, my clothes are horribly damp and clammy.
Like Brian - I do too.
Me too. The improvement on what I was on before was very worthwhile. It seems I could do better.
I will summon my neighbour J-Luc, a pro [ret] in the HVAC business. He very kindly changed my 200L balon for a new 100L. That made a bid diff … He’ll sort me out.
2 Likes