Electrical contractors on the Cote d'Azur, for English-speaking homeowners
On an older Riviera house, general electrical work usually means a new consumer unit, some rewiring and a spare circuit for a heat pump or car charger. You don't need to know how it's done. You need an electrician who explains what the house needs in plain English and puts every item in a written devis.
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Scope of work
What does general electrical work involve on the Cote d'Azur?
It covers rewiring, a new consumer unit (the tableau électrique), extra circuits, sockets and lighting. It also covers the work needed to meet the French wiring standard, NF C 15-100.
Homeowners usually need it at one of four moments. They've just bought an older house. They're adding a heat pump or a car charger. The old board has no proper protection. Or a bigger renovation needs the wiring moved.
In older Riviera houses, electricians keep finding the same faults: circuits with no earth, boards with no earth-leakage protection, and the odd run of old aluminium cable. Ask for a survey before a big renovation so the quote covers what's actually in the walls.
Anything new, even one moved socket, has to meet today's standard. The rest of the house can stay as it is. Your electrician should say on the devis what's needed to comply.
The distribution board
When do you need to upgrade your tableau electrique?
The tableau électrique is the French consumer unit. It holds the main switch, a breaker for each circuit and the earth-leakage protection that cuts the power if current escapes. It usually hangs in a hallway or utility room.
A modern board protects the bathroom, kitchen and outdoor circuits against earth leakage, and gives every circuit its own breaker. Old boards often have a single main switch and a row of fuses. Ask your electrician two questions. Is every circuit protected against earth leakage? Is there room for new circuits?
A new board for a standard house costs 1,000-2,000 EUR, including the protection devices and labelling. That price leaves the wiring in the walls alone. If the cable is old aluminium or has no earth, the rewire is quoted separately.
A heat pump, car charger or big cooker often forces the upgrade. Each needs its own circuit, a free slot on the board and enough supply. If the board is full, or your subscription is too small, ask whether raising it belongs in the same quote.
Selling or letting
Do you need an electrical diagnostic to sell or let your house?
Yes, if the installation is more than 15 years old. The diagnostic électricité goes to the buyer when the sale agreement is signed, or to the tenant with the lease. For a sale it must be under 3 years old. For a letting it can be up to 6 years old. Only a certified diagnostician can carry it out.
A recent CONSUEL attestation, within those same time limits, can replace it. So if you've just had the house rewired, keep the attestation with your deeds.
The report lists faults. It doesn't oblige the seller to fix them. A seller who doesn't provide it can't rely on a "sold as seen" clause to escape liability for hidden defects.
Certification
What is CONSUEL and when do you need it?
CONSUEL checks that an installation is safe before Enedis puts the power on. The law requires its attestation in three cases: a new installation, a full rewire where Enedis cuts the supply, and solar panels connected to the grid.
Replacing the consumer unit or adding circuits doesn't need one, provided the supply stays on. You can still ask for one. It's useful proof of the work when you sell, and it can stand in for the electrical diagnostic.
The electrician who did the work fills in and signs the attestation. CONSUEL may send an inspector before approving it. If the inspector finds faults, the electrician fixes them and asks for a second visit. A home attestation costs about 148 EUR.
Before you sign a devis, ask whether the job needs an attestation and whether its cost is included. An electrician who calls CONSUEL "not my responsibility" is the wrong choice for a rewire.
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Get quotesComing from abroad
What's different about electrical work in France for UK and US homeowners?
UK
There's no Part P self-certification. For the big jobs, the electrician signs a CONSUEL attestation and CONSUEL can inspect the work independently. If you're used to hiring a Part P registered electrician, the principle is familiar, though the forms differ.
US
France uses a different voltage, round-pin European sockets and its own wiring code. American appliances won't work without a converter. Treat any electrical job as starting from French rules and French equipment.
Germany
German and French rules share European roots, and newer installations use the same cable colours. Board layout and protection rules differ in the details. A German electrician working here has to register in France and work to French rules.
Choosing a contractor
What should you look for in an electrician on the Cote d'Azur?
Start with the paperwork. The electrician should run a registered French business with a SIRET number. Ask for proof of professional liability insurance (responsabilité civile professionnelle) and garantie décennale cover before you sign.
For a car charger, the installer needs the IRVE qualification. Without it you lose the 5.5% TVA rate. Qualifelec, the body that awards it, has an online search. A plain rewire or new board needs no special label.
Watch for someone who won't put the price in a written devis. That's common among informal workers in the region. Also walk away if they can't show a SIRET number and insurance, or give vague answers about the standard and CONSUEL.
French terms
French terms on an electrician's devis
Key French terms for this service
Questions
Frequently asked questions about rewiring and consumer units on the Cote d'Azur
If your question isn't here, send it with your request and we'll answer it directly.
A full rewire of a 3-bedroom house typically costs 10,000-18,000 EUR. Stone or concrete walls, high ceilings and the number of circuits push it up. A partial rewire, such as one floor or the kitchen and bathrooms, costs proportionally less. A new consumer unit alone runs 1,000-2,000 EUR. One dedicated circuit for a heat pump or car charger costs 300-700 EUR, more on a long cable run.
Not by law, as long as Enedis doesn't cut the supply for the work. The same goes for extra circuits. You can still ask for one, and it's useful proof when you sell or make an insurance claim. A home attestation costs about 148 EUR. Ask the electrician to say on the devis whether it's included.
No law stops you doing your own wiring, but new work still has to meet the French standard. Grants and reduced TVA need a professional, though. For an EV charger, the 5.5% TVA rate applies only when a qualified IRVE installer supplies and fits it. ADVENIR does not apply to individual houses. Beyond changing a socket or a light fitting, use an electrician.
No. It's a report of what the diagnostician found, and a seller doesn't have to do any work because of it. Its value is in the negotiation. If it flags missing earthing or no earth-leakage protection, get a rewiring quote and take it into account in your offer. A seller who fails to provide it stays liable for hidden defects.
Check for a registered French business with a SIRET number and insurance, and experience with CONSUEL. For an EV charger, the installer needs the IRVE qualification: Qualifelec's online search lists who holds it. Get three written quotes before any large job. If a contractor won't put the price in a written devis, don't use them.
Sources
Official sources for the electrical diagnostic and CONSUEL rules
- Service-Public.fr: the electrical diagnostic (F18692) The diagnostic is required for installations over 15 years old, valid 3 years for a sale and 6 years for a letting, and a recent CONSUEL attestation can stand in for it.
- Légifrance: Code de l'énergie, article D342-19 CONSUEL is compulsory for a new installation, a full rewire with the supply cut, and solar panels; a new board or extra circuits are optional.
- CONSUEL: attestation prices The national price of a home attestation.
- CONSUEL: the attestation in four steps The electrician who did the work fills in and signs the attestation.
- Légifrance: arrêté of 22 June 2023 on EV charging points The installer qualification a home charger needs for the 5.5% TVA rate.
Rules checked against these sources in September 2026. Cost ranges are our own estimates and are not drawn from these sources.