Electrical work on the Cote d'Azur, with English-speaking contractors
Many older Riviera houses were wired to rules France has since tightened. Before you add a heat pump, a car charger or a new kitchen, ask an electrician what the wiring can take. Then get the answer in a clear devis. We put English-speaking homeowners in touch with vetted electricians across the region.
Looking for an English-speaking installer on the Côte d'Azur? Get quotes →
The French standard
Is the wiring in an older Riviera house safe to build on?
French homes are wired to a standard called NF C 15-100. It sets the number of circuits, the protection in the consumer unit, the earthing and how close a socket can sit to water. Houses built or last rewired decades ago often fall short of today's version. Existing wiring doesn't have to be brought up to date just because the rules changed. Any new work does have to meet them.
If you're buying, the seller's electrical diagnostic shows you where the house stands. It's compulsory when the installation is more than 15 years old. It lists faults and stops there: the seller doesn't have to fix anything. Where it flags serious problems, get a rewiring quote before you sign.
Most jobs don't need a CONSUEL inspection. The law asks for one on a new installation, a full rewire where Enedis cuts the supply, and solar panels. For anything bigger than a few sockets, ask the electrician to say on the devis whether an attestation is included.
Services
Electrical services we cover on the Cote d'Azur
Each page below covers costs, the checks to make on a quote and the French paperwork for that type of work. We work with electricians in Nice, Cannes, Antibes and Menton, and inland around Grasse and Valbonne.
General electrical work
Rewiring, consumer unit upgrades, extra circuits and the electrical diagnostic you need to sell or let. Start here if you've just bought an older house.
Explore General electrical workElectrical for heat pumps
A heat pump needs its own circuit, and older boards often need upgrading first. Find out what the heat pump quote should cover and what it leaves out.
Explore Electrical for heat pumpsEV charging
A wallbox at home needs its own circuit and a qualified installer. Choosing the installer well gets you the reduced TVA rate.
Explore EV chargingCarports with solar
A carport with solar panels on the roof shades the car and makes electricity for the house. Suits villas with open ground and full sun.
Explore Carports with solarSmart home systems
Check on the heating, shutters and alarm from abroad. Written for second-home owners who spend months away from the house.
Explore Smart home systemsHome automation
Shutters, heating and alarms on one installed system you run from abroad. Wired or wireless, planned for a house that sits empty.
Explore Home automationGet matched with vetted English-speaking installers in your area.
Get quotesComing from abroad
How French electrical regulation differs from the UK, US and Germany
UK
France has no Part P. Instead, CONSUEL checks new and fully rewired installations, and a seller must provide an electrical diagnostic on older ones. The written devis is the other safeguard. The checks happen at different points from back home, but they are just as strict.
US
France runs on a different voltage and frequency, with different plugs. American appliances won't work without a converter. Your experience of US permits and contractors won't carry over either, so expect a written devis and French paperwork for any real work.
Germany
German and French wiring rules share European roots, so the approach will feel familiar. The details of board layout and protection differ. The main new step is CONSUEL, which has no direct German equivalent.
French terms
French electrical terms you'll see on a quote
Key French terms for this service
Questions
Frequently asked questions about electrical work on the Cote d'Azur
If your question isn't here, send it with your request and we'll answer it directly.
Yes, if they're from the EU and have registered with the French authorities under the EU rules on recognising qualifications. What matters to you is the paperwork: a SIRET number, professional liability insurance and décennale cover. The work also has to meet the French wiring standard. Someone working casually without French registration can't give you a proper devis.
It's the rulebook for wiring in French homes: how circuits are laid out, how the consumer unit is protected, where sockets can go near water and how the house is earthed. It has been tightened several times, so many older houses don't meet the current version. The old wiring can stay, but any new work you commission has to meet today's version.
The seller has to give you one if the installation is more than 15 years old. For a sale it must be less than 3 years old. It lists faults but doesn't make the seller fix them. If it flags missing earthing or no earth-leakage protection, get a quote for the repairs and take it into account in your offer.
Yes. French law lets you wire your own home. If the job needs a CONSUEL attestation (a new installation, or a full rewire with the supply cut), you fill it in yourself and CONSUEL always inspects a non-professional's work. You lose out elsewhere: grants and the reduced TVA rates on an EV charger or heat pump need a professional installer.
No. By law it's needed for a new installation, a full rewire where Enedis cuts the supply, and solar panels. A new consumer unit or extra circuits with the power left on don't need one, though you can still ask for it. At a house, a standard home wallbox doesn't need one either.
Sources
Official sources for CONSUEL and electrical diagnostic rules
- Légifrance: Code de l'énergie, article D342-19 The three cases where a CONSUEL attestation is compulsory, and that other work can have one on request.
- CONSUEL: the attestation in four steps Whoever did the work signs the attestation, and a non-professional's work is always inspected.
- CONSUEL: attestations for EV charging points A house only needs an attestation for a new charger over 36 kW.
- Service-Public.fr: the electrical diagnostic (F18692) When a seller or landlord must provide the diagnostic, and how long it stays valid.
Rules checked against these sources in September 2026. Cost ranges are our own estimates and are not drawn from these sources.