Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
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)
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
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Tour Séquoia - bureau 20.45 - 1 Place Carpeaux 92 055 La Défense cedex
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
3 October 2019
2.2. Metadata last posted
30 June 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
30 June 2025
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 national currencies per GJ and according to different bands of consumption.
For the households sector, these bands are:
D1: Customers consuming less than 20 GJ.
D2: Customers consuming 20 GJ or more but less than 200 GJ.
D3: Customers consuming 200 GJ or more.
For the final non-households sector, the bands are:
I1: Customers consuming less than 1000 GJ.
I2: Customers consuming 1000 GJ or more but less than 10000 GJ.
I3: Customers consuming 10000 GJ or more but less than 100000 GJ.
I4: Customers consuming 100000 GJ or more but less than 1000000 GJ.
I5: Customers consuming 1000000 GJ or more but less than 4000000 GJ.
I6: Customers consuming 4000000 GJ or more.
There exist 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 scope includes all companies identified by the natural gas market access authorisation issued by the administrative authority. It is mainly in the NAF nomenclature codes 35.21Z (Production of gaseous fuels), 35.23Z (Trading of gaseous fuels through pipelines). The scope also includes companies that buy all or part of their own consumption directly from wholesale markets. Suppliers supplying natural gas without drawing up invoices to companies in their group are excluded.
3.7. Reference area
France excluding overseas departments and Corsica. The distribution of natural gas by pipeline only concerns continental France.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Natural gas prices data for France are available since 2007.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Prices are reported in national currency per GJ. However, Eurostat also calculates and publishes the prices in EURO and PPS (purchasing power parity) and do the conversion to kWh. Relative shares of sub-component of the network component and consumption volumes are reported in percentages.
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).
6.1. 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).
Eurostat does not share the data collected with other organisation 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)
7.1. 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 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 non residential prices, we apply the rules of France Energy Code (Article L142-9). No results are published if it concerns fewer than three consumers.
8.1. Release calendar
A release calendar is available in the CGDD (Commissariat Général au Développement Durable) website.
8.2. Release calendar access
The calendar is public.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Not applicable
Natural gas prices in France are published on a semestrial basis on Eurostat's website and on the database website of the ministry.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
No national press release related to the data.
Subscribers to the CGDD (Commissariat Général au Développement Durable) newsletter are informed when the results are published.
The number of consultations of the prices data in the statistical database is unknown.
The web page on energy prices has been consulted 2261 times since 1 January 2025
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).
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
A description of the survey, including questionnaires and a methodological note, is available on the French Ministry of Ecology.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Not significant
10.7. Quality management - documentation
A quality analysis was carried out before the label committee, which awards the obligation to respond to the survey, and enabled the methodology to be revised. It is available on the website of the French Ministry of Ecology.
11.1. Quality assurance
No quality management system currently in place.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
We have a quite high confidence in the accuracy of these statistics. Indeed, the results appear globally consistent with other sources (prices declared by industrial customers in the annual survey on industrial energy consumption, price indexes…).
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. 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.
Energy suppliers' information systems are not designed to classify customers according to their level of consumption. The survey therefore requires ad hoc processing which is more or less easy to carry out.
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.
Lastly, there may be a time lag between the consumption period and invoicing for some suppliers who base their response on invoices.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
CGDD (Commissariat Général au Développement Durable)
Drawing up monetary accounts for natural gas and electricity, including taxes and distribution by sector of activity
Annual publications on the price of gas and electricity.
These data are used in microsimulation models of household energy expenditure and in the evaluation of environmental taxes.
IEA
Quarter update of aggregate results ( quarterly statistics –Energies prices and taxes)
INSEE
INSEE follows results published on the online database to compare with their own results
INSEE uses the data in its national accounts. The prices and monetary accounts for gas and electricity are used for the residential sector in particular.
All Publics
Inform the average price level of the entire market, in a context of development of market offers.
Response to Internet users, particularly researchers, students and professionals, interested in energy pricing issues.
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 April 30, 2024.
Agenda items:
collection results 2023
use of collected data
addition of overseas departments and territories
discussions on taking subsidies into account
how to carry over subsidies (chèque énergie)
how to deal with the time lag in updating prices
12.3. Completeness
The dataset comply with the current regulation
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
100 %
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Potential errors:
Error of the provider:
Discrepancy between the consumption period and the billing period, which can lead to a delay in the updating of prices.
Incorrect allocation of consumption band for new customers
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
The market is highly concentrated. The error rate for small suppliers is therefore very low. In the case of larger suppliers, specific monitoring is carried out with multiple exchanges to reduce potential errors.
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
It is possible that there is an over-coverage error, but it is concentrated in the higher bands of consumption of the non-residential sector.
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
In the second half of 2024, all the energy suppliers questioned responded, with the exception of one for non residential sector.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
The item non-response rate for natural gas is very low for the second half-year of 2024. 17 missing values were imputed out of 2820 data items
13.3.4. Processing error
Data processing includes a number of checkpoints to identify potentially erroneous data. Discussions are then held with the energy suppliers concerned to review the data sent. At the end of the data collection process, the half-yearly and annual data are reconciled using constrained optimisation. The data has been reviewed beforehand to identify any major discrepancies.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not Applicable.
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
A second transmission of data had to be made in 2024 due to an excise rate error in the program. The second mailing was made a month and a half after the first deadline.
Data for the first half of the year are systematically revised in the second half. Revised data is therefore sent out six months after the first deadline. However, these revisions are minor.
14.2. Punctuality
The legal deadline for submitting the questionnaires is the end of the third month after the reference period.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
A second transmission of data had to be made in 2024 due to an excise rate error in the program. The second mailing was made a month and a half after the first deadline.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Not applicable
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable
15.2. Comparability - over time
No changes reported
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 for 2017 and 2018.
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
As the prices sent for the first half of the year correspond to estimated annual consumption, we encourage energy suppliers to systematically correct the data for the first half of the year when sending the data for the second half.
To ensure equality between half-yearly and annual data, we carry out optimization processing, after any corrections made by energy suppliers. Thus, annual prices correspond to half-yearly prices weighted by consumption volumes.
Internal costs
The survey "Transparency of gas and electricity prices" mobilizes 0.7 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.
17.1. Data revision - policy
We have informed suppliers that it will be possible to modify the data for the first semester when entering the data for the second semester and the annual. This will promote coherence between half-year prices and annual prices. As a result, online Semester 1 questionnaires will be automatically opened for online collection during the second semester collection.
Suppliers will have to revalidate the online questionnaire of the first semester during the collection of the second semester with modifications or not.
As the prices sent in the first half of the year correspond to estimated annual consumption, we systematically revise first-half data in the second half of the year. We also seek to ensure equality between half-yearly and annual prices.
17.2. Data revision - practice
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.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
First-semester revisions are minimal.
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.
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 e-mail 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 questionnaire started and questionnaire completed).
When necessary, we discuss the consistency of their answer 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.
The control that Price without tax is less or equal to Price excluding VAT less or equal to Price with VAT takes place when the supplier enters his data.
For the main suppliers, we examine the evolutions from the previous year.
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.
Excise tax forced to normative rate for residential customers.
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.
European statistics on natural gas prices for household and final non-household customers.
30 June 2025
The prices are collected in national currencies per GJ and according to different bands of consumption.
For the households sector, these bands are:
D1: Customers consuming less than 20 GJ.
D2: Customers consuming 20 GJ or more but less than 200 GJ.
D3: Customers consuming 200 GJ or more.
For the final non-households sector, the bands are:
I1: Customers consuming less than 1000 GJ.
I2: Customers consuming 1000 GJ or more but less than 10000 GJ.
I3: Customers consuming 10000 GJ or more but less than 100000 GJ.
I4: Customers consuming 100000 GJ or more but less than 1000000 GJ.
I5: Customers consuming 1000000 GJ or more but less than 4000000 GJ.
I6: Customers consuming 4000000 GJ or more.
There exist 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
Household and final non-household consumers divided into consumption bands.
The scope includes all companies identified by the natural gas market access authorisation issued by the administrative authority. It is mainly in the NAF nomenclature codes 35.21Z (Production of gaseous fuels), 35.23Z (Trading of gaseous fuels through pipelines). The scope also includes companies that buy all or part of their own consumption directly from wholesale markets. Suppliers supplying natural gas without drawing up invoices to companies in their group are excluded.
France excluding overseas departments and Corsica. The distribution of natural gas by pipeline only concerns continental France.
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).
Potential errors:
Error of the provider:
Discrepancy between the consumption period and the billing period, which can lead to a delay in the updating of prices.
Incorrect allocation of consumption band for new customers
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
Prices are reported in national currency per GJ. However, Eurostat also calculates and publishes the prices in EURO and PPS (purchasing power parity) and do the conversion to kWh. Relative shares of sub-component of the network component and consumption volumes are reported in percentages.
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.
Excise tax forced to normative rate for residential customers.
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.
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.
New suppliers often start with a small market share
Natural gas prices in France are published on a semestrial basis on Eurostat's website and on the database website of the ministry.
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.
