To decide whether to revise your gas budget, start with the contract: what determines the price, and when does it change? Then compare the complete cost at your consumption level. The benchmark increase becomes useful to your decision once those terms are clear.
What the regulator announced
From 1 October 2026, CRE’s tax-inclusive gas benchmark increases from €172.05 to €182.88/MWh, or 6.3%. CRE estimates an average October impact of €5.28 including taxes for indexed offers. This is an estimate, not a universal surcharge.
The benchmark is not a tariff consumers can subscribe to. Your contract formula determines the effect. Fixed-price offers are not affected by this particular index movement; check the fixed period and any contractual exclusions.
Read the contract before the bill
Identify the reference index, revision date and components actually fixed. Separate the standing charge from the consumed-energy price. Do not compare a benchmark in €/MWh with one component of a supplier’s offer without aligning units and costs.
Equal monthly payments may be advances rather than charges for that month’s actual use. Meter reconciliation can produce a later adjustment. A change in the advance is not the same as a change in the unit price.
Individual and communal heating differ
For a personal supply contract, obtain the tariff sheet and annual reconciliation. For a communal boiler, ask the syndic about the building’s contract, expiry, allocation rules and maintenance expenses. A household benchmark cannot automatically describe the building’s commercial contract.
Compare offers using the same annual consumption and period. Include standing charges, indexation, expiring discounts and price-change clauses. A single advertised percentage is insufficient.
Include heating in purchase checks
Request annual bills, boiler maintenance and repair records, plus meeting minutes concerning heating replacement. Relate spending to floor area, occupancy and previous use. Keep a separate allowance for equipment maintenance.
For some Cannes–La Bocca properties, also check whether the building has a documented district-heating connection plan. An address in the neighbourhood alone does not establish connection.
What annual cost does your contract produce?
The next step is to calculate the full annual cost under your contract and compare it with other offers. Use annual consumption from the latest reconciliation and record each offer’s standing charge, energy cost, discount end dates and price-review rules. Label a calculation at today’s tariff accordingly: an indexed contract’s future price may still change.
Compare the same consumption and cost components. If the supplier’s calculation differs from yours, ask for a breakdown before switching contracts. For communal heating, ask the syndic for the building contract terms, the complete cost and the rules for sharing it between apartments.
Who will monitor costs while you are away?
The guide to owning from abroad connects tariffs with heating, servicing and meter readings. Tell us your visiting seasons and the existing contract to identify which costs continue in an empty home and who should check the equipment.
Sources and verification date
Checked on 22 September 2026. Observation periods and limitations are identified in the article.
