Today, 89% of surveyed households say they are concerned about these bills and 86% believe they weigh heavily on their budget, a proportion stable compared with 2025 but at its highest level since 2007. This proportion rises to 55% among those under 35 and reaches 77% for the shopkeeper category.
The survey, 2026 edition, was conducted from September 2 to 15, 2026 among a representative sample of 2,000 households in metropolitan France, interviewed electronically for the eighth consecutive year.
As a result, nearly three in four households decided to lower the heating in their home last winter in an attempt to spend less.
The barometer thus paints a picture of persistent pressure on budgets, despite efforts to restrict heating.
The financial burden of energy bills constitutes a major concern for the consumers surveyed.
Half of households nevertheless admit having suffered from the cold for at least 24 hours.
Before the war in Ukraine, 18% of people in 2020 and 25% in 2021 had difficulty paying their heating bills, according to the barometer. A third of surveyed households (34%) had difficulty paying some of their electricity or gas bills over the past twelve months, according to the annual barometer of the energy ombudsman, published Tuesday, November 3.
According to experts, 12 million households are in a situation of energy poverty.