Electrical work for heat pump installation on the Côte d'Azur
Every heat pump needs its own electrical circuit. In older Riviera properties, many built before the 1980s, the fuse board often has to be upgraded before a heat pump can go in safely. We connect you with qualified, English-speaking electricians who know heat pump installations.
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Get quotesOn this page6 sections
- Why does a heat pump need dedicated electrical work?
- What electrical work does a heat pump installation typically require?
- Is the electrical work included in the heat pump quote or separate?
- What makes the electrical side of a heat pump installation cost more?
- French terms on a heat pump electrical quote
- Frequently asked questions about electrical work for heat pumps on the Côte d'Azur
Why it matters
Why does a heat pump need dedicated electrical work?
A heat pump draws a lot of power, so it needs its own circuit straight from the fuse board (tableau électrique). The manufacturer and the French wiring standard both require it. It can't share a circuit with anything else.
In older houses the board is often the obstacle. Boards from before the 1990s are often full, too small for the extra load, or wired to an old standard. Then the board has to be replaced first. Any new circuit must meet today's standard, however old the rest of the wiring is.
Where the outdoor unit goes matters too. If it sits across the garden or in a detached garage, the cable has to be thicker to cope with the distance. Ask the electrician to size it for the real run, measured on site.
Types of work
What electrical work does a heat pump installation typically require?
Always required
Dedicated circuit installation
A new circuit from the fuse board to the outdoor unit, with its own protection at the board and a cut-off switch beside the unit. The heat pump can't share a circuit, so this is always needed. Sometimes it's in the heat pump quote, sometimes an electrician does it separately. Find out which before you sign the devis (written quote).
Distribution board upgrade
If the board is full, too small or out of date, it's replaced before the heat pump circuit goes in. The new board brings the whole installation up to the current standard. Our general electrical page covers what a board upgrade involves.
Outdoor unit cable run
The cable may go through walls, under the garden or along a facade. Longer runs need thicker cable.
Three-phase supply work
Most homes are single-phase, and most home heat pumps run on it. Some larger units need three-phase. If yours does, the switch goes through Enedis, the grid operator, takes several weeks and carries a connection fee. Ask early whether the unit you're quoted for needs it.
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Get quotesGetting the scope right
Is the electrical work included in the heat pump quote or separate?
It depends on the contractor. Larger heat pump firms usually include all the electrics, done by their own team or a subcontractor. Smaller ones that focus on the refrigerant side may connect the unit and leave the circuit and board to an electrician you hire.
Before you sign, pin down the electrical scope. Does the quote cover the circuit from the board to the outdoor unit? If the board needs replacing, is that in? Is a CONSUEL attestation needed, and who arranges it? A line that only says "connection to the existing supply" doesn't include a new circuit.
Replacing an old heat pump raises the same question. The new unit may need more than the old circuit can carry. Have an electrician check it before the new unit is connected.
Budget
What makes the electrical side of a heat pump installation cost more?
The board decides the scale. One with spare slots and sound earthing needs only the new circuit. A full or outdated board has to be replaced first, which is a bigger piece of work than the circuit. Ask the electrician to open the board on the survey visit.
The route to the outdoor unit comes next. A long run may mean a trench across the garden or drilling through thick stone walls, as well as thicker cable. Ask who puts the terrace or lawn back afterwards. A unit that needs three-phase adds an Enedis fee and weeks of waiting.
Electrical work on its own is taxed at 10% on a home over two years old. MaPrimeRénov' (the state renovation grant) pays towards an air-to-water or ground-source heat pump in a principal residence, through an RGE (state-approved) installer, but never funds the electrics alone. CEE (energy-supplier grants) pays a set amount for the heat pump, whatever the electrics cost.
Get two written quotes that show the circuit, the board and the cable run as separate lines. Then ask whether the heat pump quote already covers any of them. Electrical work at a home over two years old is charged 10% TVA (French VAT).
French terms
French terms on a heat pump electrical quote
Key French terms for this service
Questions
Frequently asked questions about electrical work for heat pumps on the Côte d'Azur
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Usually not. A CONSUEL attestation is compulsory for a new installation, a full rewire where the supply is cut, or a solar system. Adding a heat pump circuit, or replacing the board without a supply cut, doesn't need one, though you can ask for it. If a quote charges for CONSUEL, ask why it's needed.
Possibly. Your subscription (puissance souscrite) caps how much power the house can draw at once. A heat pump running while the oven and water heater are on can trip it. Ask the electrician to check your total load. If it needs raising, you request that from your electricity supplier, not the electrician.
Qualifelec certifies French electrical contractors. Its heat pump qualification, called PAC (heat pump), also gives RGE status for heat pumps. A firm holding it can install the whole system, and MaPrimeRénov' stays open on an air-to-water unit. For the electrics alone it isn't compulsory, but it shows heat pump experience. Ask for the Qualifelec or RGE number to be printed on the devis.
A new circuit on a board with space takes half a day to a day. A board replacement adds a day, and a long run across the garden adds more. A switch to three-phase means waiting three to six weeks for Enedis first. Expect two to three days of work, often spread over separate visits.
Yes, if someone can let the team in. The power goes off while the board is worked on, so empty the freezer or arrange for someone to check it. Ask the electrician to label the new circuit on the board and send photos of the finished board and the cut-off switch by the outdoor unit.
Sources
Official sources for heat pump electrics, CONSUEL and grant rules
- Légifrance: Code de l'énergie, article D342-19 When a CONSUEL attestation is compulsory, and why a new circuit or board without a supply cut doesn't need one.
- Qualifelec: the heat pump (PAC) qualification The Qualifelec PAC qualification carries RGE status for heat pump installation.
- Service-Public.fr: MaPrimeRénov' (F35083) The principal-residence rule and the RGE installer condition for MaPrimeRénov' on a heat pump.
- Ministère de la Transition écologique: CEE standard operation sheets CEE pays a set amount per heat pump, and an air-air split needs only a professional installer.
Rules checked against these sources in September 2026.