Senate Shifts Tax Burden From Electricity to Gas in 2026: What It Means for Your Energy Bills in France

From 2026, French energy taxes will be rebalanced with lower taxes on electricity and higher taxes on gas, as the Senate backs a fiscal shift to support the energy transition and national sovereignty. Discover how this change could impact your household budget and heating choices.

From 2026, France is preparing a major shift in energy taxation: taxes on electricity are set to fall, while those on natural gas will rise, as part of the Senate’s work on the 2026 budget. The objective is to encourage households and businesses to switch progressively from gas – mostly imported and carbon‑intensive – to low‑carbon electricity produced largely in France.

This change is presented not only as a climate measure, but also as a way to strengthen France’s energy independence and reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets.

Why the Senate Wants Fiscal Convergence

The reform is driven by an amendment led by Jean‑François Husson, the Republican senator who serves as the Senate’s general budget rapporteur. His aim is to align, over time, the taxation applied to electricity with that applied to gas, in order to make the fiscal system more consistent with the country’s climate and energy strategy.

Supporters of the measure argue that gas has become relatively cheap again, which risks slowing down investments in more sustainable, electric‑based heating and equipment. By rebalancing taxes, they hope to send a clearer long‑term signal: electricity should be the preferred energy for heating and many everyday uses.

What It Means for Household Bills

The Senate’s amendment is designed to be budget‑neutral overall, meaning the State’s tax revenues would remain stable while the burden shifts between different types of energy. For households, however, there will be winners and losers depending on their main heating source.

Impact on electrically heated homes

Households using electric heating would see their bills fall thanks to lower energy taxes on electricity. The projected relief is:

Around 11 to 45 euros less per year, depending on consumption level.
This corresponds roughly to a reduction of about 1 to 4 euros per month on average.

For many electric‑heated homes already facing high electricity prices, even a modest monthly reduction is seen as a positive sign that public policy is finally aligning with the call to “electrify everything”.

Impact on gas‑heated homes

For households relying on gas boilers, the effect will be the opposite. The increase in gas taxation would translate into:

An extra 12 to 80 euros per year on gas bills.
That is roughly 1 to 7 euros more per month, depending on the size and energy profile of the home.

While the monthly amounts may seem small at first glance, consumer groups warn that this comes on top of previous price shocks and that many households are already struggling with their energy budget.

Government Now Officially on Board

The government has given a favourable opinion to the Senate’s proposal, signalling a clear political endorsement of this tax rebalancing. Roland Lescure, Minister of the Economy, has underlined that the measure “makes a lot of sense”, explicitly linking it to the desire to boost consumption of electricity that is both low‑carbon and domestically produced, while reducing reliance on gas, which is more carbon‑intensive and largely imported.

This support marks a change of tone compared with earlier debates in 2024, when the executive resisted the idea of raising gas taxation for fear of burdening households further during an inflationary period. The new stance reflects a stronger political priority given to electrification and climate goals in the medium term.

Transition, Sovereignty and Climate Objectives

Behind the technical language of “accises” and fiscal convergence lies a broader strategy: accelerate the energy transition while reinforcing French energy sovereignty. France wants more homes and industries to switch from fossil fuels to electricity, especially as the country relies heavily on nuclear and renewable power, which emit far less CO₂ than gas or oil.

The policy also has a geopolitical dimension. By reducing gas consumption, France can gradually decrease its exposure to external suppliers and price shocks on international gas markets, which have been a major source of instability since the energy crisis of the early 2020s.

Electricity vs Gas: How the New Tax Logic Looks

Aspect	Electricity	Natural gas
Tax trend in 2026	Taxes decrease on consumption.	Taxes increase on consumption.
Policy objective	Encourage electrification of uses.	Discourage long‑term reliance on gas.
Climate impact	Mostly low‑carbon mix in France.	Fossil fuel, higher CO₂ emissions.
Effect on typical household	11–45 €/year bill reduction.	12–80 €/year bill increase.
Link to sovereignty	Supports domestic generation.	Reduces imports exposure over time.

What Households Can Do to Prepare

For households, this shift in taxation is another signal that the long‑term direction favours electricity over gas. Those considering renovation or replacement of their heating systems may want to take this into account when planning investments.

Possible actions include:

Comparing the total cost of ownership of modern electric solutions (heat pumps, high‑efficiency electric heaters) versus gas boilers over 10–15 years, including anticipated tax changes.
Checking eligibility for existing renovation and energy‑efficiency subsidies, which often favour insulation work and heat‑pump installation.
Monitoring future budget debates, as details and exact levels of taxation could still evolve before 2026.