Which meter power should you choose?
Add up the appliances that run at the same time: the tool gives the power to subscribe and the standing charge that goes with it.
Subscribed power (puissance souscrite), expressed in kilovolt-amperes (kVA), is the ceiling on the electricity your home can draw at any one moment. If the appliances running together exceed it, the meter cuts out. In household use one kVA is roughly one kilowatt: a 2,000 W radiator, a 1.5 kW hob ring and a 2.2 kW water heater draw about 5.7 kVA between them. On the regulated tariff, powers run from 3 to 36 kVA in steps. Each step raises the standing charge but not the price per kilowatt-hour, except on Base where the kWh is slightly cheaper from 9 kVA. Going from 6 to 9 kVA costs €48 more a year on the Off-peak option. Tempo only exists from 6 kVA, and Base is closed to new contracts above 6 kVA. The right setting is therefore the lowest power that never trips.
Power to subscribe
15 kVA
for 13.2 kW drawn at the same time
| Base 15 kVA | €329 / yr |
| Off-peak 15 kVA | €329 / yr |
| Tempo 15 kVA | €324 / yr |
One step up (18 kVA): €45 more standing charge a year on Off-peak.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Each option’s standing charge, step by step
| Power | Base | Off-peak | Tempo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kVA | €146 | €146 | not offered |
| 6 kVA | €190 | €190 | €190 |
| 9 kVA | €239 * | €239 | €236 |
| 12 kVA | €285 * | €285 | €282 |
| 15 kVA | €329 * | €329 | €324 |
| 18 kVA | €374 * | €374 | €368 |
| 24 kVA | €470 * | €470 | €459 |
| 30 kVA | €558 * | €558 | €550 |
| 36 kVA | €647 * | €647 | €645 |
These amounts come from the Tarif Bleu grid in force from 1 August 2026, set on the regulator’s proposal. At a given power, Base and Off-peak have carried the same standing charge since that date, and the Off-peak option is now open from 3 kVA. The Tempo standing charge is a little lower than the other two, but the option cannot be taken below 6 kVA.
What one more step costs
| From | To | Extra standing charge a year |
|---|---|---|
| 3 kVA | 6 kVA | €45 |
| 6 kVA | 9 kVA | €48 |
| 9 kVA | 12 kVA | €47 |
| 12 kVA | 15 kVA | €44 |
| 15 kVA | 18 kVA | €45 |
| 18 kVA | 24 kVA | €96 |
| 24 kVA | 30 kVA | €88 |
| 30 kVA | 36 kVA | €89 |
Steps do not all cost the same: the gap widens between 18 and 36 kVA, where steps are 6 kVA wide. Before moving up, look at when the cut-outs happen. If they always come when the oven and washing machine run while the heating is on, putting one load off by two hours is often enough, and the saving repeats every year.
How to estimate your peak
What matters is not the total of all your appliances but the total of those running at the same moment. A tumble dryer and an oven at Sunday lunchtime in mid-winter, with the radiators on, is often a house’s peak. The tool has you add up the groups of uses that really stack: heating, cooking, hot water, car charging and the rest. Read each appliance’s power on its plate, then take the power step just above your total.
- Electric heating counts in full: every radiator can start at once on a cold morning.
- A water heater run on off-peak hours only heats at night: if nothing else runs then, it does not add to the evening peak.
- Car charging scheduled at night follows the same logic; charging started on arriving home at 18:00 does not.
A last check before you change anything: the standing charge is billed every month of the year, while a cut-out may only happen a few winter mornings. Spreading two appliances by an hour costs nothing; a step up costs the amount in the table, year after year.
Once the power is set, compare the options on your consumption with the Base, Off-peak or Tempo comparison, and check what each appliance uses with the guide appliance consumption.