The regions that consume the most are in the south of France. Several cities in Occitania are on the podium. We explain why.
Electricity consumption in France represents a quarter of energy consumption in France. And the inhabitants who consume the most live mainly in regions where it is warm.
Indeed, according to the collection of data on energy consumption by the ORE agency (Energy Network Operators) and Enedis and on the population, by INSEE, it is possible to identify the areas where we consume the most electricity.
Knowing that the electricity consumption per capita is 2,223 kWh per year and that the residential sector represented 36% of the total electricity consumption in 2019, as stated on the site data.gouv.fr†
The ranking of the most consuming cities
In the top 10 most consuming cities in France (with more than 50,000 inhabitants), three are in Occitania. The determined average consumption per capita.
- 1. Fréjus with 3.15 MWh
- 2. Cannes with 2.93 MWh
- 3. Antibes with 2.89 MWh
- 4. Montauban with 2.85 MWh
- 5. Narbonne with 2.77 MWh
- 6. Grasse with 2.68 MWh
- 7. Hyères with 2.59 MWh
- 8. Arles with 2.51 MWh
- 9. Béziers with 2.50 MWh
- 10. Aix-en-Provence with 2.46 MWh
Nmes comes in 19th place with 2.11 MWh, Perpignan on the 25th with 2.01 MWh and Toulouse 30th with 1.97 MWh.
Montpellier in 37th place (with 1.88 MWh) surpasses Paris, which is in 41st place with 1.82 MWh.
In large cities, consumption in Bordeaux is 2.21 MWh per inhabitant and in Nice 2.12 MWh.
Ranking of cities that consume the least
In the top 10 cities in France (with more than 50,000 inhabitants) that consume the least.
- Créteil with 1.09 MWh
- Bobigny with 1.17 MWh
- Aubervilliers with 1.20 MWh
- Belfry with 1.20 MWh
- Nanterre with 1.21 MWh
- Teal with 1.26 MWh
- Venice with 1.28 MWh
- Epinay-sur-Seine with 1.29 MWh
- Saint-Etienne with 1.34 MWh
- Aulnay-sur-Bois with 1.35 MWh
In the large cities, the consumption in Rennes is 1.38 MWh per inhabitant and in Mulhouse 1.41 MWh.
The reasons for such a discrepancy
But why is it the southern regions that get the least warm in winter that come into pole position? At first glance, this does not seem logical, but certain elements can provide the explanation.
Heating mode: households in the north of France are said to be more equipped with heating from fossil fuels such as gas, oil and wood than with electric heaters compared to the south.
The quality of the insulation of the houses: the thermal insulation of houses is a crucial point in energy consumption. The famous energy spills consume an extreme amount of electricity.
The regions further north, and thus colder and more humid in winter, would be better insulated and thus less energy-intensive.
Thermosensitivity: the variations of the thermometer lead to an increase in heating in France. That is, when the temperature drops, consumers tend to turn their thermostat up by 1 degree. The difference between the outside and inside temperature is getting bigger
The air conditioning : electricity consumption by air conditioning is far from negligible. So when winter temperatures are lower in the South, summer temperatures are higher and using air conditioning to cool your home is necessarily more frequent.
