France’s solar self-consumption premium: abolished in 2026
It used to knock several hundred euros off the price of panels. What is left of the scheme, who can still receive it and what its end changes in the numbers.
The self-consumption premium (prime à l’autoconsommation, also called the investment premium) was paid by EDF Obligation d’Achat, the body that buys solar surplus in France, to households that installed panels and sold their surplus. It no longer exists for systems whose complete grid-connection request was filed on or after 5 June 2026: the order of 1 June 2026 repealed the article that provided for it, while setting the surplus tariff at 1.1 c€/kWh. Requests filed between 28 March 2025 and 4 June 2026 keep the premium of their scheme, €0.08 per watt-peak for 9 kWp or less, which is €240 for 3 kWp. Before 28 March 2025 it reached €0.22/Wp up to 3 kWp and €0.16/Wp from 3 to 9 kWp, according to the energy regulator (CRE). For a typical Paris household with 3 kWp, losing the premium stretches payback from 17.3 yrs to 18.0 yrs. Many pages and calculators still show the premium: check when they were last updated.
Are you entitled to the self-consumption premium?
Investment premium
€0
| Surplus tariff | 1.1 c€/kWh |
| Scheme | Order of 1 June 2026 |
| Amount per watt-peak | 0 |
Former scheme: €0.08/Wp for 9 kWp or less, requests from 28 March 2025 to 4 June 2026.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Amounts by request date
- Before 28 March 2025: a quarterly, declining premium, €0.22/Wp for 0 to 3 kWp and €0.16/Wp for 3 to 9 kWp in early 2025 (CRE deliberation 2025-69), with surplus bought at 12.69 c€/kWh.
- 28 March 2025 to 4 June 2026: €0.08/Wp for 9 kWp or less, surplus at 4 c€/kWh (order of 26 March 2025).
- Since 5 June 2026: no premium, surplus at 1.1 c€/kWh (order of 1 June 2026).
The scheme is always set by the date of the complete grid-connection request filed with Enedis, not by the date of the quote, the fitting or commissioning.
What the end of the premium does to payback
To isolate the premium’s effect, the table keeps today’s surplus tariff and simply deducts the old premium from the price paid. For 3 kWp the gap is 0.7 yrs: noticeable, but smaller than the effect of household usage or of the quote price. For large systems, with too little self-consumption, the premium was already not enough to bring payback under twenty years.
| Size | Premium lost | Payback without premium | Payback if the premium still existed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kWc | €240 | 18.0 yrs | 17.3 yrs |
| 6 kWc | €480 | over 20 years | over 20 years |
| 9 kWc | €720 | over 20 years | over 20 years |
How many years until your panels pay for themselves?
Pays for itself in
18.0 years
| Output per year | 3,395 kWh |
| Gain in year 1 | €329 |
| Installed price (estimate) | €6,000 |
| Net over 20 years | +€665 |
Département median, roof at 30° due south, surplus sold at 1.1 c€/kWh.
Outdated information still online
The change is recent, and many comparison sites, articles and installer calculators have not been updated: some still show the €0.08/Wp premium, or even the 4 c€/kWh surplus tariff. Before trusting a figure, look at the page’s date and the text it cites. This site’s parameters are reviewed with every new order, and the date of the last check is at the bottom of every page.
Are panels still worth it without the premium?
The premium lowered the starting price, but most of the gain from a well-sized system comes from power used on site. Without the premium the numbers still work for a household that uses power during the day and pays a reasonable price: test your commune in the calculator, and see the payback page for cases where they no longer do.