Gas prices for household consumers - bi-annual data (from 2007 onwards) (nrg_pc_202)

National Reference Metadata in Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS)

Compiling agency: Commissariat Général au Développement Durable (CGDD) Service de la Donnée et des Études Statistiques (SDES) Sous Direction des Statiques de l'Énergie (SDSE)


Eurostat metadata
Reference metadata
1. Contact
2. Metadata update
3. Statistical presentation
4. Unit of measure
5. Reference Period
6. Institutional Mandate
7. Confidentiality
8. Release policy
9. Frequency of dissemination
10. Accessibility and clarity
11. Quality management
12. Relevance
13. Accuracy
14. Timeliness and punctuality
15. Coherence and comparability
16. Cost and Burden
17. Data revision
18. Statistical processing
19. Comment
Related Metadata
Annexes (including footnotes)
 



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1. Contact Top
1.1. Contact organisation

Commissariat Général au Développement Durable (CGDD)

Service de la Donnée et des Études Statistiques (SDES)

Sous Direction des Statiques de l'Énergie (SDSE)

1.2. Contact organisation unit

Bureau des Statistiques de la Demande d'Énergie

1.5. Contact mail address

Tour Séquoia - bureau 20.45 - 1 Place Carpeaux    92 055 La Défense cedex


2. Metadata update Top
2.1. Metadata last certified 07/07/2022
2.2. Metadata last posted 07/07/2022
2.3. Metadata last update 16/06/2022


3. Statistical presentation Top
3.1. Data description

European statistics on natural gas prices for household and final non-household customers.

3.2. Classification system

Internal Eurostat classification system based on annual natural gas consumption bands and tax levels.

3.3. Coverage - sector

Household sector and final non-household sector (industry, services, offices, agriculture, etc).

3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions

The prices are collected in €/MWh PCS and according to different bands of consumption.

For the households sector, these bands are:

  • D1: Customers consuming less than 5.56 MWh PCS per year.
  • D2: Customers consuming 5.56 MWh or more but less than 55.56 MWh PCS per year.
  • D3: Customers consuming 55.56 MWh or more per year.

For the final non-households sector, the bands are:

  • I1: Customers consuming less than 278 MWh per year.
  • I2: Customers consuming 278 MWh or more but less than 2 778 MWh per year.
  • I3: Customers consuming 2 778 MWh or more but less than 27 778 MWh per year.
  • I4: Customers consuming 27 778 MWh or more but less than 277 778 MWh per year.
  • I5: Customers consuming 277 778 MWh or more but less than 1 111 112 MWh per year.
  • I6: Customers consuming 1 111 112 MWh or more per year.

There are 2 different levels of disagregation for semestrial and annual prices:

1- Semestrial prices:

These prices are reported twice a year and are divided in 3 levels:

  • Level 1 prices: Prices excluding taxes and levies.
  • Level 2 prices: Prices excluding VAT and other recoverable taxes and levies.
  • Level 3 prices: Prices including all taxes and levies.

2- Annual prices:

These prices are reported once a year together with the data for the second semester and are divided into the following components and taxes:

  • Energy and supply: commodity price for natural gas paid by the supplier or the price of natural gas at the point of entry into the transmission system, including, if applicable, the following end-user costs: storage costs plus costs relating to the sale of natural gas to final customers.
  • Network cost: transmission and distribution tariffs, transmission and distribution losses, network costs, after-sale service costs, system service costs and meter rental and metering costs.
  • Value added taxes (VAT): as defined in Council Directive 2006/112/EC.
  • Renewable taxes: taxes, fees, levies or charges relating to the promotion of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and CHP generation.
  • Capacity taxes: taxes, fees, levies or charges relating to strategic stockpiles, capacity payments and energy security; taxes on natural gas distribution; stranded costs and levies on financing energy regulatory authorities or market and system operators.
  • Environmental taxes: taxes, fees, levies or charges relating to air quality and for other environmental purposes; taxes on emissions of CO2 or other greenhouse gases. This component includes the excise duties.
  • All other taxes: taxes, fees, levies or charges not covered by any of the previous four categories: support for district heating; local or regional fiscal charges; island compensation; concession fees relating to licences and fees for the occupation of land and public or private property by networks or other devices.

In addition to these elements, the network cost is split into the respective shares of transmission and distribution. The relative share of consumption in the different consumption bands is reported by the countries and used to calculated the single national natural gas prices (weighted averages for consumer bands IA-IF and DA-DE) but not published because it could be used to re-calculate some confidential values.

 

Only the VAT is refundable for non-households

3.5. Statistical unit

Household and final non-household consumers divided into consumption bands.

3.6. Statistical population

The prices are invoiced to residential customers and to non-residential end customers for the purchase of natural gas distributed by gas pipeline for their own needs in mainland France (excluding Corsica).
Suppliers supplying gas without drawing up invoices to companies in their group are therefore excluded.

 

3.7. Reference area

France excluding overseas departments and Corsica.

3.8. Coverage - Time

Natural gas prices data for France are available since 2007.

3.9. Base period

Not applicable.


4. Unit of measure Top

Prices are reported in €/MWh PCS.


5. Reference Period Top

For semestrial prices, the reference periods are from January to June for semester 1 and from July to December for semester 2.

For annual prices, the reference period is the whole calendar year (from January to December).


6. Institutional Mandate Top
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements

At EU level:

  • Regulation (EU) 2016/1952 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on European statistics on natural gas and electricity prices and repealing Directive 2008/92/EC (Text with EEA relevance).
  • Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2169 of 21 November 2017 concerning the format and arrangements for the transmission of European Statistics on natural gas and electricity prices pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/1952 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance).
  • Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1734 of 14 November 2018 granting derogations to the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Spain, the Italian Republic and the Republic of Cyprus as regards the provision of statistics pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/1952 of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document C(2018) 7465) (Text with EEA relevance).
  • Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/823 concerning the content of quality reports on European statistics on natural gas and electricity prices pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/1952 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance).

At national level:

6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing

At EU level:

  • Eurostat does not share the data collected with other organisations appart from its usual dissemination chanel (Eurostat's database, statistic explained articles and press or news release) .

At national level:

  • Data is sent to eurostat.
  • Every quarter an update of aggregate results is sent to the IEA (quarterly statistics- Energy prices and taxes)


7. Confidentiality Top
7.1. Confidentiality - policy

At EU level:

  • Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 11 March 2009, on the transmission of data subject to statistical confidentiality to the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

At national level:

  • Under Article 6 of Law No. 51-711 of 7 June 1951, as amended, on the obligation, co-ordination and confidentiality of statistics, the information transmitted in reply to this questionnaire shall in no circumstances be used for purposes of tax control or economic repression. Article 7 of the aforementioned law also states that any failure to reply or a knowingly inaccurate response may result in the application of an administrative fine. This questionnaire is confidential and is addressed to the Energy Statistics Sub-Directorate
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment

Published data should not allow identification of single consumers.

For non residential prices, we apply the rules of France statistical secret on companies. No results are published if it concerns fewer than three suppliers or no data for which a single company represents 85 % or more of the value obtained.

For residential prices, we apply the rules of France Energy Code (Article L142-9).  No results are published if it concerns fewer than three consumers.


8. Release policy Top
8.1. Release calendar

No release calendar is published.

8.2. Release calendar access

There is no calendar.

8.3. Release policy - user access

Not applicable


9. Frequency of dissemination Top

Natural gas prices in France are published on a semestrial basis on Eurostat's website.

Every quarter an update of aggregate results is sent to the IEA (quarterly statistics –Energies prices and taxes)

The results are also available on the database website of the ministry.


10. Accessibility and clarity Top
10.1. Dissemination format - News release

No national press release related to the data.

10.2. Dissemination format - Publications

Annual publication on the gas price Datalab essential "Prix du gaz naturel en France et dans l'Union européenne en 2020" (pdf format released in June of 2021)

Annual publication on the gas price Datalab essential "Prix du gaz naturel en France et dans l'Union européenne en 2019" (pdf format released in June of 2020)

Annual publication on the gas price Datalab essential "Prix du gaz naturel en France et dans l'Union européenne en 2018" (pdf format released in September of 2019)

10.3. Dissemination format - online database

The results are available on the database website of the ministry as well as in a spreadsheet attached to the annual publication.

10.3.1. Data tables - consultations

The number of consultations of the prices data in the statistical database is unknown.

10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access

We don't give public access to microdata.

However, researchers have the possibility to access individual data under the rules of Law No. 51-711 of 7 June 1951, as amended, on the obligation, co-ordination and confidentiality of statistics (however, no demand has been made in the recent years).

10.5. Dissemination format - other

None

10.5.1. Metadata - consultations

The methodology attached (in a separate file) to the publication Datalab essential “Gas prices in France and the European Union in 2016” was consulted 151 times in 2018.

10.6. Documentation on methodology

Description of the survey, Methodology, Data collection, Questionnaire, Results are described on the following web page:

https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/enquete-semestrielle-sur-la-transparence-des-prix-du-gaz-et-de-lelectricite-en-europe?list-enquete=true

 

10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate

Not significant

10.7. Quality management - documentation

No document related to quality is available

As part of the application for the label of conformity and the compulsory nature, we have drafted a dossier for the label committee


11. Quality management Top
11.1. Quality assurance

Completed questionnaires from suppliers are checked and discussed with them if necessary.

11.2. Quality management - assessment

No major inconsistency has been found out between these statistics and other sources (regulated  tariffs, prices declared by industrial customers in the annual survey on industrial energy consumption…).

However, we identify some difficulties and weaknesses. First of all, the questionnaire appears quite complex for suppliers to fill in and may require estimations from them (namely for the transmission network part of the price).
Therefore, ensuring accuracy requires deep checks of the questionnaires and, in some cases, quite long discussions with suppliers. More specifically, some difficulties arise from the fact that  the survey questions customer invoices.

Clients can change band from one semester to another, which may cause a tracking problem. Besides, the annual consumption of new customers or outgoing customers is unknown and requires assumptions.
We have given the following instruction : the allocation of the consumption band for incoming and outgoing customers must be made by estimating the annual consumption of the customer ;
in the absence of other methods, this estimate may be made pro rata temporis of the time of presence as a customer.

Moreover, billing may differ from actual consumption because of call / provisioning, regularization, refunds or non-billing. It causes inconsistencies in particular on taxes, that we correct automatically.


12. Relevance Top
12.1. Relevance - User Needs

SDES

- Consolidation of the monetary accounts of gas and electricity
- Databases available on our website
- Annual publications on the price of gas and electricity.

IEA

- Quarter an update of aggregate results (quarterly statistics –Energies prices and taxes)

INSEE

- INSEE follows results published on the online database to compare their results

All Publics

- Inform the average price level of the entire market, in a context of development of market offers

Additional information that would be expected :

- Differentiation between market and regulated prices

- Standard deviations of prices for different bands in order to feel the dispersion of prices around the average

- Prices quoted by subscribed power and not by annualized consumption.

12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction

A users' committee meets once every two years to review developments in the survey. The last meeting was held on May 20, 2019.

Decision Record:

- Decomposition of the HT price for gas: For gas, as regards the decomposition of the price excluding tax, the European regulation does not give any formal precision on the allocation of the costs of access to LNG terminals to the "network" or supply item. Eurostat's wish is to take them into account in the network (transport costs). However, it appears difficult for suppliers to isolate these costs, which, according to several of those present at the meeting, are rather part of the supply item. In conclusion, it is decided to assign them to this supply item. On the other hand, it is recalled that the storage costs must be allocated to the supply costs, including the share of these costs that has been included in the ATRT since 2018 (storage reform).

- Annual consumption of incoming and outgoing: The allocation of the consumption band for incoming and outgoing customers must be made by estimating the annual consumption of the customer. In the absence of other methods, this estimate may be made pro rata temporis of the time of presence as a customer.

- Taxes for residential: Residentials do not benefit from a tax reduction. Therefore the TICGN for the residential ones must be informed at the maximum normative rate.

12.3. Completeness

The data comply with the current regulation

12.3.1. Data completeness - rate

We are transmitting everything requested


13. Accuracy Top
13.1. Accuracy - overall

Potential errors:

- Error of the provider:

- Bad filter over the period

- Bad consideration of new and outgoing customers in the assignment of consumption bands

- Error after taking account of payment deposit and not on a volume actually invoiced in the period

- Error in the approval of the supplier's invoices

- Error input in the online application

13.2. Sampling error

We survey the suppliers with the highest market shares, until the sum of the market shares exceeds 95%. The sampling error is considered negligible.

13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators

No precision measure are available.

13.3. Non-sampling error

Information is included in the sub-concepts S.13.3.1-S.13.3.5.

13.3.1. Coverage error

Overall, the coverage error should be moderate. Though, it could be relatively more important for highest non residential bands than  for the other ones.

13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate

There is no over-coverage.

13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion

100% of the data come from the survey.

13.3.2. Measurement error

Suppliers have difficulties to aggregate bills by annual consumption bands because their customers are classified by tariff.

13.3.3. Non response error

See 13.3.3.1

13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate

- Other low volume providers could be interviewed for households representing 1 % of the volume.

- Two suppliers don’t answer for non-households and other low volume providers could be interviewed for non-households representing 3% of the volume.

13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate

The item non-response rate for electricity is nul for the half-year and, on average of the markets and the bands, 1 % of the volume of the annual.

13.3.4. Processing error

There is no processing error because it is fully automated.
Suppliers respond in an online questionnaire. Then a management application allows the extraction of detailed results. In the end a program accrues the results and completes the questionnaire for Eurostat.

13.3.5. Model assumption error

Not Applicable.


14. Timeliness and punctuality Top
14.1. Timeliness

Natural gas providers that participate in the national data collection are requested to provide the natural gas price data within 2,5 months after the reference period. After arrival, the statistical office checks the micro-data for correctness, consistency and completeness and national averages are calculated and reported to Eurostat during the third month after the reference period.

14.1.1. Time lag - first result

As the deadline set by Eurostat is always respected, we systematically submit our results three months after the end of the reference period.

14.1.2. Time lag - final result

There was no second sending to Eurostat of the results for the second half of 2021. If we want to make a second sending, we ask Eurostat for a new deadline.

 

14.2. Punctuality

The legal deadline for submitting the questionnaires is the end of the third month after the reference period.

We sent the aggregated answer in time for both semesters of 2021, because there were no significant corrections from the suppliers, and therefore no second sending to Eurostat either.

14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication

For the 2nd semester of 2020, we sent the aggregated answer 8 days after the deadline, because there were significant corrections from the suppliers.

For the 1st semester of 2020, we sent the aggregated answer in time, because there were no significant corrections from the suppliers.

For the 2nd semester of 2019, we sent the aggregated answer 24 days after the deadline, because there were significant corrections from the suppliers.

For the 1st semester of 2019, we sent the aggregated answer 36 days after the deadline, because there were significant corrections from the suppliers.


15. Coherence and comparability Top
15.1. Comparability - geographical

Until the first half of 2021, the prices sent to Eurostat only concerned mainland France except Corsica. Since the second half of 2021, the prices relate to the whole of France except Mayotte, that is to say metropolitan France including Corsica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyana and Réunion.

15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient

Not applicable

15.2. Comparability - over time

There have been some changes but not enough to warrant the designation of a break in series.

15.2.1. Length of comparable time series

For France, the annual price is calculated as the average of the half-yearly prices beetween 2007 and 2016, while it is directly estimated from the annual data supplied by the suppliers from 2017 on.

15.3. Coherence - cross domain

Not applicable

15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics

Not applicable

15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts

Not applicable

15.4. Coherence - internal

There may be a difference between the annual price and the average weighted half-yearly price.
The annual price is filled in the second half of the year and in the meantime, many suppliers have changed the price and volume of the first semester.
We give suppliers the possibility of modifying first half prices and volumes during the second half of the year.


16. Cost and Burden Top

Internal costs

A survey manager and an office manager for a total of 0.9 FTE.

In addition, a computer developer is requested each semester for the production of the online questionnaire and the management application. As well as to improve them.

No internal costs other than manpower

 

Costs for suppliers

The answer is facilitated by an online questionnaire in the form of successive tables of figures to be completed. The accuracy of the figures requested requires the implementation of requests, the support of IT departments, back offices and sometimes accountants.

Suppliers are forced to keep the collection deadlines. Suppliers must deliver the figures no more than three months after the end of the semester while invoices are not always available for the requested period.


17. Data revision Top
17.1. Data revision - policy

Suppliers are informed that it is possible to modify the data for the first semester when entering the data for the second semester and the annual.

this promotes coherence between half-year prices and annual prices. As a result, online Semester 1 questionnaires are automatically opened for online collection during the second semester collection.

Suppliers have to revalidate the online questionnaire of the first semester during the collection of the second semester with modifications or not.

17.2. Data revision - practice

See 17.2.1

17.2.1. Data revision - average size

Suppliers can revise their 1st semester prices at the same time as they enter their 2nd semester prices and their annual prices, six months later.

Households gas prices collection: 0.004012391

Non-households gas prices collection: 0.001536785


18. Statistical processing Top
18.1. Source data

Selection of suppliers from the lists communicated semi-annually by the Energy Regulatory Commission Inquiry of suppliers representing the largest market shares until reaching the 95% market threshold list remains fairly stable from one year to the next: The historical suppliers (EDF for electricity) retain a significant share of the market, especially among households.

New suppliers often start with a small market share.

18.2. Frequency of data collection

Twice a year.

18.3. Data collection

We send an email at the beginning of the collection to the suppliers and we send a reminder e-mail. Responses must be submitted in an on-line survey.

A management application tracks the progress of collection (indicates questionnaires started and questionnaires completed).

We discuss the consistency of their answer by email or on the phone.

 

18.4. Data validation

We control the order of magnitude of prices and volumes of each supplier compared to previous semesters.

For each band a test checks that 2 * semester volume / Number of customer is included in the limits of the annual consumption interval.

In the second half of the year, we check for each consumption band, the average weighted half-yearly price of semi-annual volumes is close to the annual price.

We check that the taxes are about the normative value. Especially for households that do not benefit from a tax reduction.

We control that Price without tax less or equal to Price excluding VAT less or equal to Price with VAT.

18.5. Data compilation

For the annual calculation only the questionnaires for which the bands of consumption of the prices excluding taxes are filled in the first and second semester are considered as well as the volumes of the first and second semester.

- The consumption bands of suppliers who have not entered the price of the supply or the cost of the network costs are excluded

- TICGN forced to 8,45 € / Mwh in 2019 and 2020 and 8,43 € / Mwh in 2021 for residential customers

- If some suppliers fail to submit data, they will be imputed as the average of the other suppliers’ data of the band.

- If a supplier does not submit the invoiced VAT, it will be calculated using the difference of the supplier's half-yearly between prices including and excluding VAT, weighted by its half-yearly volumes. If these prices are not available, the VAT will be imputed with the average VAT value of the market band.

18.5.1. Imputation - rate

Not significant

18.6. Adjustment

No adjustment.

18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment

Seasonable adjustments are not carried out.


19. Comment Top


Related metadata Top


Annexes Top