The Consuel is a national committee recognized as being of public utility since 1998. It verifies then certifies the compliance of electrical installations. In the case of non-compliant installations, actions are implemented for the preservation of property but also and more for maintain the safety of people. Let’s discover the history of the Consuel, its missions, in which cases it is mandatory to request a certificate of conformity and how much it costs.
Presentation of the Consuel
Consuel means National Committee for the Safety of Electricity Users. The date of creation of this non-profit association (law 1901) goes back to 1964. It is a committee born from the desire to reduce the number of claims of electrical origin due to the large number of non-compliant installations.
The Consuel is placed under the supervision of the public authorities. It is the Directorate General for Energy and Climate of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy (DGEC) which oversees the proper execution of its activity, or issues an opinion on its accounts and on its operation. The Consuel is accredited by COFRAC which is none other than the French Accreditation Committee.
Since its creation, the Consuel has always adapted to the evolution of decrees and safety requirements which have only tightened over time.
Approved professionals can be found throughout France.
What is the role of the Consuel
The National Committee for the Safety of Electricity Users has the major role of certifying at all electricity supplier the conformity of an electrical installation. For everyone’s safety, an installation must always fully comply with the standards in force. This allows suppliers not to distribute this energy on a non-compliant site, that is to say when this represents a danger.
Who should call on the Consuel and why?
In the 1970s, we deplored such serious disasters originating from an electrical defect, that since the Consuel certificate of conformity is mandatory. This associative body is therefore responsible for verifying compliance in new buildings or buildings to be restored. The certificate concerns both the individuals that companies who wish to open a meter so that their home or business premises can be supplied with electricity.
Whether you are modifying or completing your electrical installation or doing a completely new electrical installation, such as connecting a workshop to the network when it was not there or even a newly built veranda, it is necessary to request a Consuel certificate of conformity. It is the same for people who move into a new house since to be connected to the electricity network it is necessary to provide this type of certificate.
Only the case of the commissioning of an EDF pro meter does not imply the obligation to request a Consuel certificate but this is still strongly recommended.
The different Consuel conformity certificates
There are currently four Cerfa forms of certificates of conformity which can be distinguished by means of different colors. These Consuel certificates are presented below.
- Bleu : certificate of conformity for domestic installations for the production of electricity but not equipped with a storage device as is the case, for example, with photovoltaic panels, hydroelectricity, wind turbines, etc. Cerfa N°15523*01.
- Violet : certificate of conformity reserved for domestic power generation facilities since they are connected to a storage device. Cerfa N°15524*01.
- Vert : certificate of conformity for a installation for non-domestic use on a site intended to receive the public and/or employees, or even for an outdoor installation in the public domain, for condominiums, etc. Cerfa N°12507*03.
- Jaune : Consuel certificate of conformity for classic electrical installation for domestic use (housing, garden lighting, shed, garage and other outbuildings, etc.). Cerfa N°12506*03.
It should be noted that Cerfa documents N°15523*01 and N°12506*03 – i.e. blue and yellow – both must be requested when a dwelling is equipped with the two installations concerned (energy production and conventional installation).
How to obtain a certificate of conformity from the Consuel and how much does it cost?
To have the conformity of an electrical installation checked, it is necessary to submit a request to the National Committee for the Safety of Electricity Users, whose watchwords are ” Let’s advance electrical safety ».
It is possible to request a certificate of conformity via the Consuel’s online site or by Postal mail. Subsequently, this Cerfa document must be completed and as soon as the work is completely completed, the file should be returned to the Committee, which will then make an appointment with the applicant in order to check – before validating it – whether the electrical installation is up to standard.
The cost for an individual is at least a good hundred euros, knowing that during the verification if failures are observed, a counter-visit is necessary and it is payable. As an indication, for an individual, in 2020 the price including tax of a blue certificate is €165.62 and that of a yellow certificate is €119.11.
We can never repeat enough that a certificate of conformity is capital in the field of electricity. In France, according to the ONSE (National Observatory for the Safety of Electrical Installations), more than 25 million homes have at least one electrical anomaly and 7 million are not up to standard at all. The defect of the electrical installation is a serious subject. At least 80,000 fires of electrical origin are deplored each year. As for the victims of an electrical accident, they are nearly 4,000 per year. A large majority of these accidents take place in the bathroom. Let’s all take steps to have our electrical installations checked before it’s too late.