A few tips for your EDF bills

Since you are now producing your own electricity thanks to your solar installation, you must bill your production to your power supplier on a yearly basis. That is great news as you will make money out of it. However, the billing process itself is far from straightforward. You must index the price every year, read all indices correctly and get the layout correctly... That is far from easy, especially for new producers. We have compiled a few useful tips and tricks for you that we found in various forums and guides. These tips refer to the process in France when reselling to the EDF. However, they will also be useful for customers in other countries!

Be precise on your billing date

The invoicing of your production is done each year (for individuals) on the anniversary date of signing your sales contract with the network manager. To be sure to invoice at the right time, you must refer to the effective date of your contract which appears in article 7 of the General Terms and Conditions.

Indexes and calculation of net production

In order to calculate your net production for the year, you will have to take the so-called P₁ and A₁ indices on the invoice date. The P index corresponds to the cumulative energy produced indicated by the production meter and the A index to the energy consumed by your installation among that produced (in particular by the inverter): it is the non-consumption index. You will then need to provide yourself with the same indices on the anniversary date of the previous year P₂ and A₂ (which you have identified AND preserved). You can then calculate your net production as follows:

[ (P₁-P₂) - (A₁-A₂)]

Calculation of the sales price

The sales price in your first year is indicated in your contract. This tariff is to be indexed each year, i.e. it evolves according to the coefficient L (Article VII-5 of the General Conditions) calculated on the basis of indices calculated by INSEE itself and published each year. In your calculation it must also be taken into account that there are two tariffs foreseen: up to the 1500th hour of production, and another one beyond.

The calculation is quite difficult, especially at the beginning. To make your life easier, you can consult the photovoltaic.info guides or use your personal space on the edf-oasolaire.fr website. Rates are calculated automatically as soon as your account is set up and you also have access to standard invoice modules.

How to avoid late payments

Some recurring problems on invoices sent to EDF can slow down their processing or even lead to a return that will waste your time. Here are the most common problems:

• The invoice is not in conformity: opt for a standardised invoice model that will prevent you from returning it.
• Not all fields on the invoice are filled in: make sure you fill in all the information correctly. If the name or address of the particular producer(s) is incorrect, your payment may be blocked.
• Your P₂ and A₂ indices do not correspond to the A₁ and P₁ indices of the previous year. This is why it is important to keep your records carefully from one year to the next.
• The feed-in tariff is not correct: it is therefore better to check your calculations several times, or even compare them with those indicated on your personal space.
• There is a mistake on VAT: do not forget that you are only exempt from VAT below a certain production level.

In case of problems on your meters

In the event of a failure on your production or non-consumption meters, you must notify the network manager as soon as possible. For lost data, it is he who will then be able to estimate the amount of energy produced and not measured during the failure period, an estimate that will have to be taken into account in your calculations.

If this failure or any other problem involves the change of one of your meters during the year, you will have to issue three invoices to EDF at the time of invoicing: one for the period preceding the change of meter, one for the period before, and one presenting the total for these two periods. You must also attach the EDF intervention report.

Do you find it difficult to write invoices? Do you have any questions? Please let us know in the comment section!

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