Save on your student rent by changing energy supplier

A cheaper student rental by changing energy supplier

Reconciling student life with a low budget is not always easy. In addition to the difficulty of finding affordable housing, we are always looking for a way to save money. Like online banks or low-cost telephone plans that save tens of euros per month, it is also possible to change your energy contract, even when you are a student tenant. So are you ready to save?

Changing energy supplier: what is the point?

The first interest of changing energy supplier is of course the price. With its successive increases, the regulated sales tariff for electricity (TRV) has become important for small budgets. The TRV is the benchmark sales price for electricity in France. Set by the State, it is marketed by EDF under the "Blue tariff" offer. It is certainly your parents' contract! The offers of alternative electricity suppliers (Iberdrola, Vattenfall, Ilek, Planète OUI and others) are based on this. There are in fact more than 30 energy suppliers in France today, and spoiler: many are cheaper than EDF. It is therefore in the interest of obtaining information before entering your student accommodation.

Am I sure that I will save money by changing supplier?

Here again the answer is simple: yes! Concretely, an electricity or natural gas bill breaks down into two parts:

• The subscription, which is the fixed part paid every month;
• Your consumption in kWh which varies according to the uses.

It is on this part of the bill that most energy suppliers, such as Total Direct Energy for example, offer their reductions. As a general rule, the best offers show a reduction of 10% on the price per kWh before tax compared to the regulated electricity tariff. Which, in the context of a student rental, is very interesting for stays of 1 year or more.

So how do alternative suppliers provide these discounts to you? Like the discount offers that have appeared in other areas, energy providers are playing the paperless card. Thus, from subscription to customer service, everything happens via the internet.

These new offers are therefore all particularly suited to the youngest and in particular to students who have to change accommodation during their studies. Rest assured, changing supplier is a very simple operation and you don't have to be an expert in internetology!

How to choose the right energy contract?

This is where things can get more complex. With around 30 suppliers for electricity and around 15 for gas, it is not always easy to find your way around. Especially when you take into account that suppliers sometimes offer more than one offer. Between the Online offer, the Connected offer, the Green offer or the 100% Smart offer, there is something to lose your way!

Fortunately, it is easy to find the offer that best suits your needs by using a comparator of energy suppliers. All you need to do is bring your last bill, indicate your annual consumption in kWh, enter your postal code and compare! Other indicators can be useful, such as the area of ​​your home or the type of heating used. Although this may seem difficult or discouraging at first glance, it does not prevent serious savings in the long term (which is never refused when you are a student).