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ekWateur, Green and Collaborative Energy Supplier in France
Launched in September 2016, ekWateur is the latest arrival to the French energy market. Specialising in green energy, ekWateur offers electricity sourced 100% from renewable generation sources, and green natural gas supply (choice between 5% or 100% sourced from biomethane).
About ekWateur
New energy retailer ekWateur is the latest creation from Julien Tchernia and Jonathan Martelli, who were responsible for the green energy retail company Lampiris's launch in France. After founding the company Joules & Cie in November, 2015, they acquired licences to sell electricity and gas in France in March, 2016. The company hopes to upset historic suppliers EDF and Engie's hold on the market, and seeks to acquire 100,000 new customers by 2018, and 500,000 over five years.
It is interesting to note that ekWateur is one of the rare French providers that will allow you to pay your bills with a European (SEPA) IBAN, which can be handy if you've recently arrived in France and need electricity, but don't yet have a French bank account.
What's different about ekWateur?
ekWateur positions itself as part of the collaborative economy, "at the intersection of ecological, economic, and digital transitions". In addition to providing electricity sourced 100% from renewable sources (which is already offered by the likes of Planete Oui, Enercoop, and Lampiris), ekWateur also offres renewable natural gas, which it sources from biomethane produced in Scotland. Since 2017, the supplier has been chosen by the French State to provide energy for 53 public buildings, such as the Picasso Museum, the Météo France HQ or the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel.
ekWateur's collaborative business model is also an innovation on the French retail energy market. In addition to financing through the crowdfunding platform LUMO, the supplier involves current customers in their sales strategy, and will pay them (up to approx. 25€ per hour) for responding to enquiries over the phone or by chat (note: they must declare themselves as auto-entrepreneurs).
Though not yet finalised, the company plans to purchase energy produced by its customers (those with solar panels, etc). Currently only EDF is able to authorised to purchase energy produced by its customers.
ekWateur Energy Rates
While green energy is often considered to be more expensive than "conventional" energy sources, ekWateur offers rates that are equal or up to 10% cheaper than the EDF/Engie regulated tariffs. What's more, the energy retailer currently offers a customer referral programme through which each new customer receives a special promotional code that provides them with "free" electricity (credit for 150 kWh) for each new referral.
| Name | Subscription Charge (6 kVA) | Price per kWh (6 kVA) | Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
€ | € | None: possibility to cancel at any time without penalty |
 |
145.45€ | 0.1406€ | None: possibility to cancel at any time without penalty |
ekWateur's rates for natural gas are similarly competitive with the Engie/GDF Suez regulated tariffs.
| Name | Annnual Subscription Charge | Price per kWh | Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
250.44 € | 0,0627-0.0641 € | |
|
290.28-340.92 € | 0,0380-0.03460 € | None: possibility to cancel at any time without penalty |
Note that as shown above, some tariffs vary depending on the option you choose (fixed or indexed prices) as well as the area you live in. For instance, it is more expensive to get gas from ekWateur in Paris compared to in Lyon.
Contact ekWateur
If you are moving to a new home and wish to open a new account in your name with ekWateur, just call Selectra at 09 87 67 37 93, or get a free callback.
You can can also follow this link to subscribe to ekWateur online.
Existing ekWateur can reach customer service online or at 09 77 40 66 66.