Winter cold and energy bills: Emmanuel Sire's analysis on BFM TV - December 28, 2025

Paris, December 28, 2025

While France is going through a long-lasting episode of cold, with serious human and social consequences, Emmanuel Sire, founder of Sirenergies, was invited to the set of BFM TV to decipher the real impact of these temperatures on the energy bill and recall the levers to limit their effects.

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An observation at the end of 2025: France remains the cheapest in Europe

From the beginning of his speech, Emmanuel Sire wanted to put into perspective a debate that is often anxiety-provoking:

“The bill in France is the cheapest in Europe at the moment. We are back to pre-Covid prices, to pre-energy crisis prices.”

He points out that, despite the increase in energy taxes after the crisis, market prices remain significantly lower than those observed in our European neighbours, with a difference of around €40/MWh compared to Germany. A key element in putting into perspective the immediate impact of refrigeration on global costs.

Heating: first insulate, then electrify

For Emmanuel Sire, the answer to the challenge of winter heating cannot only be temporary. It must be structural:

“To lower the bill, you have to insulate, first insulate, then electrify. (...) You have to electrify everything because it's carbon-free.”

He insists on a persistent incoherence in the French system: electricity, a largely carbon-free energy, remains more taxed than gas, which is fossil and polluting.

A situation that he bluntly compares to economic and ecological nonsense.

“In fact, in France, it's a bit like taxing vegetables more than tobacco. Electricity is taxed more than gas. You buy gas, it's fossil, it pollutes.”

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Heat pumps and MaPrimeRénov': essential conditions

The electrification of uses, in particular via heat pumps, according to him, is essential. But this transition cannot be done without a clear and funded framework:

“You have to isolate yourself with professionals. And for that, you need MaPrimeRénov', you need a budget.”

This is a strong message, in a context where the sustainability and readability of renovation grants, which affect the ability of households to undertake effective work, are unclear.

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The ideal temperature: stability rather than variations

On a very concrete level, Emmanuel Sire also provided practical recommendations on the ideal temperature for your heating:

“The ideal temperature is 19°C. To say, I go down to 15°C at night to go up to 19°C, it's as if you were going up to 25°C. That's the principle of inertia. The ideal is to have a stable temperature, always the same. Even during the day, if you are not at home. Unless you are able to regulate according to off-peak prices in the middle of the day.”

Anticipating new electrical uses

Finally, Emmanuel Sire projects the debate towards the future of the French electrical system, marked by periods of overproduction and even negative prices :

“There is a lack of electricity consumption in France. The future is to manage its uses, with off-peak hours in the middle of the day.”

A vision that combines sobriety, intelligent electrification and price optimization.

From foresight to concrete actions

Managing your uses, taking advantage of off-peak hours during the day, anticipating changes in the electricity market and adapting your equipment cannot be improvised. These new parameters require a detailed reading of prices, technical constraints and the regulatory framework.

In this context, Sirenergies supports businesses and local authorities to structure a sustainable energy strategy, optimize uses and secure costs.

Talk to a SirEnergies expert to analyze your consumption and build an energy trajectory adapted to the new challenges of the French electrical system.