Glossary

CONSUEL: the French electrical safety inspection

On this page7 sections
  1. What is CONSUEL?
  2. When is a CONSUEL attestation required?
  3. What is the attestation de conformité?
  4. How does the CONSUEL inspection work?
  5. What does a CONSUEL attestation cost?
  6. What happens without a CONSUEL attestation?
  7. CONSUEL and EV charging: how they connect

What is CONSUEL?

CONSUEL stands for Comité National pour la Sécurité des Usagers de l'Electricité, the national committee for electrical safety. It's an independent body that checks electrical installations in France before they connect to the supply. When an installation passes, CONSUEL issues an attestation de conformité. That document confirms the work meets the French wiring standard. Without it, Enedis, the grid operator, won't connect or switch on the supply.

When is a CONSUEL attestation required?

Not every electrical job needs one. These are the cases that do:

  • New construction: a new home needs the attestation before Enedis connects the meter.
  • Complete rewire: a full rewire triggers it when Enedis cuts the supply so the work can be done.
  • EV charging point: in an apartment building, every new charging point needs one. In a house, only a new charger over 36 kW does, so a standard home wallbox doesn't.
  • Solar panels connected to the grid: the connection to the Enedis network involves a CONSUEL check.

Most other work doesn't. Replacing the consumer unit (tableau électrique), adding circuits or extending the wiring needs no attestation by law, as long as the supply isn't cut. You can still ask for one. For any large job, ask the electrician to state on the devis (written quote) whether an attestation is included.

What is the attestation de conformité?

It's the certificate CONSUEL issues once it has checked an installation and found it meets the French wiring standard. The UK equivalent is an electrical installation certificate (EIC).

The attestation includes:

  • The property address and installation details
  • The date of inspection
  • A CONSUEL reference number
  • Confirmation of compliance, or a list of faults if the first inspection failed

Keep it for as long as you own the house. You'll need it when you sell. An insurer or a future electrician will also ask for it to judge the state of the wiring.

How does the CONSUEL inspection work?

  1. The electrician finishes the work and fills in the CONSUEL form, declaring what was done.
  2. CONSUEL reviews the declaration. For larger installations, an inspector visits to check the work against it.
  3. If everything complies, CONSUEL issues the attestation. If the inspector finds faults, the electrician fixes them and asks for a second inspection.
  4. The attestation then goes to Enedis, which switches on the supply or the new circuit.

Your electrician runs this process, not you. When you ask for a devis, ask the installer to confirm in writing that the CONSUEL application and inspection are included and are theirs to handle.

What does a CONSUEL attestation cost?

CONSUEL's fees are set nationally. The attestation for a home costs about 148 EUR, and a second visit after a failed inspection about 238 EUR. Some electricians include it in the overall price and others list it as a separate line. Either is fine, but know which before you compare quotes. An installer who says CONSUEL "isn't their problem" is the wrong choice for work that needs it.

What happens without a CONSUEL attestation?

Without it, Enedis won't connect a new meter. In practice:

  • A new home can't be legally occupied with mains electricity.
  • In an apartment building, a new EV charging point can't be commissioned and the ADVENIR subsidy can't be claimed.
  • Solar panels can't be connected to the grid.

Work on an existing house that skipped CONSUEL is a greyer area. The power keeps working, but the installation isn't formally compliant. That can cause trouble when you sell, when you claim on your home insurance after an electrical fault, or when a future electrician reviews the wiring.

CONSUEL and EV charging: how they connect

It depends on the building. In an apartment building, every new charging point needs a CONSUEL attestation, whatever its power. The IRVE-certified installer arranges it and uses it for the ADVENIR subsidy application. In a house, the attestation is only required for a new charger over 36 kW. Home wallboxes fall well below that.

ADVENIR funds apartment buildings and shared car parks, never individual houses. If you're fitting a wallbox at your own villa, ask about the reduced TVA (French VAT) rate instead. What matters at a house is the installer: ask for their IRVE number on the devis, because the reduced TVA rate and the Département 06 grant both depend on it.

More on French electrical work and EV chargers

Sources

Official sources for the CONSUEL attestation rules

  1. Légifrance: Code de l'énergie, article D342-19 An attestation is required for a new installation, a full rewire with the supply cut, or a solar system; other work can have one on request.
  2. CONSUEL: the attestation in four steps The electrician buys and fills in the attestation, and CONSUEL may inspect before signing it.
  3. CONSUEL: attestation prices The national price of a home attestation and of a repeat inspection, from 1 September 2026.
  4. CONSUEL: attestations for EV charging points Apartment buildings need an attestation for any new charging point; houses only for a new charger over 36 kW.
  5. ADVENIR programme (AVERE-France) ADVENIR funds charge points in apartment buildings and shared car parks, not individual houses.

Rules checked against these sources in September 2026.

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