The self-consumption bonus has been abolished: what changes in 2026

Has the self-consumption bonus really been abolished?

Yes. The self-consumption bonus, an investment subsidy paid by EDF Obligation d'Achat (EDF OA, the feed-in purchase scheme) to photovoltaic systems that self-consume and sell their surplus, was abolished by the order of 1 June 2026. New grid-connected installations can no longer receive it.

This is not a simple scale reduction of the kind the sector has seen every quarter for years, but a genuine abolition of the scheme for future projects. However, the measure is not retroactive: installations already connected keep all of their rights.

What exactly has changed

Until this reform, the self-consumption bonus was one of the pillars of public support for residential photovoltaics. It was calculated in euros per installed kilowatt-peak (€/kWp), paid by EDF OA, and reserved for self-consumption installations with sale of the surplus (neither full export nor pure self-consumption with no export qualified).

A twofold measure: the bonus and the surplus rate

A crucial point, often buried in the headlines: the same order of 1 June 2026 did not stop at abolishing the bonus. It also sharply lowered the buy-back rate for surplus, brought down to 0.011 €/kWh (indexed at +2%/year) from about 0.04 €/kWh previously, a division by nearly 4. For many projects, it is this second cut, more than the disappearance of the bonus, that weighs most on the payback period: every kWh exported to the grid now earns almost nothing.

The historical bonus scale (before abolition)

As a benchmark, here are the amounts that applied before the abolition. These amounts no longer apply to new installations since 1 June 2026:

Amounts provided for historical purposes. For installations ≤ 9 kWp, the bonus was paid in a single instalment about one year after commissioning; for higher capacities, it was spread over 5 years.

Why this abolition?

The logic is that of a scheme that has reached maturity. In fifteen years, the cost of a photovoltaic installation has fallen several-fold, to the point where residential self-consumption has become profitable on its own, without an investment subsidy. The bonus, designed at a time when solar cost far more, had less and less of a triggering effect, while weighing on the public service charges for energy. Its abolition is part of this rationalisation.

Am I affected? Vested rights vs new installations

This is the question that worries people most, and the answer is reassuring for those who have already taken the plunge. The dividing line is the connection date of your installation.

• Connected before 5 June 2026: you keep your vested rights. The bonus continues to be paid by EDF OA according to the scale in force on your connection date, under the conditions and for the duration set out in your purchase contract. Nothing to do on your side.
• Connected from this date onwards: your installation is regarded as new, so no bonus is paid. You remain eligible for the other schemes (5.5% VAT, surplus buy-back, local aid).

The support still available in 2026

The bonus is gone, but residential photovoltaics is not left without support. Three levers remain available, provided you know the rules well.

1. The reduced 5.5% VAT rate

This is today's most significant support for a residential installation. The reduced rate applies when five cumulative conditions are met: system ≤ 9 kWp, dwelling (whatever its age), carbon footprint of the panels below 530 kg CO2eq/kWp (PPE2-V2 certification, verifiable on certisolis.com, the site of Certisolis, the French certification body), heavy metals within the limits, and, since 1 January 2026, an EMS (Energy Management System) installed. Without an EMS, the 20% rate applies to the entire invoice. On a 10,000 € excl.-VAT system, the difference between the two rates is a saving of about 1,450 €. Details in our guide 5.5% VAT on solar panels.

2. Surplus buy-back by EDF OA

This is not a subsidy but operating income: the electricity you do not consume is exported to the grid and bought back. For self-consumption with sale of the surplus, the rate is now 0.011 €/kWh, indexed at +2%/year (order of 1 June 2026). Note: that same order lowered it from about 0.04 €/kWh, so the surplus should no longer be seen as a source of income but as a marginal extra. This is precisely why storage (see below) regains all its appeal. See also selling your surplus and EDF OA.

3. Regional and local aid

Many local authorities (regions, départements, urban communities, municipalities) offer their own photovoltaic aid, which varies greatly from one area to another. The official portal france-renov.gouv.fr lists them by postcode.

Is it still profitable without the bonus?

Let us be direct: abolishing the bonus, taken on its own, changes little. For a typical 6 kWp installation, it historically peaked at around 480 € (6 kWp × 80 €/kWp), paid once, a few per cent of the cumulative gain over 25 years. What really weighs is the simultaneous cut in the buy-back rate for surplus (from ~0.04 to 0.011 €/kWh): projects that counted on selling a large surplus see that income collapse.

And yet, solar remains a sound investment, provided you understand where the gain really comes from. The driver has never been the bonus or the resale, but self-consumption: every kWh consumed instead of bought saves 0.2001 €/kWh (regulated tariff), around 18 times the value of a surplus kWh. Better still: the tariff you avoid has risen by about 3%/year for years, so the self-consumption saving grows mechanically over time, unlike the surplus frozen at 0.011 €/kWh.

The practical consequence is clear: you should no longer size “large” to fill the roof, but aim as precisely as possible so that the maximum amount of generation is consumed on site. And where direct self-consumption reaches its limits (midday generation, daytime absences, water heater already covered), storage takes over to value the surplus well above 0.011 €/kWh:

• Physical battery: stores the day's surplus and returns it in the evening. Each kWh “shifted” in this way is then worth 0.2001 €/kWh instead of 0.011 €. See our guide home battery storage.
• Virtual battery: your surplus is “credited” with a provider and reused later, bypassing the low buy-back rate. To be compared case by case; see solar virtual battery.
• Managing usage (EMS, solar diverter): shifting the water heater, washing machine or vehicle charging to the generation hours, without costly storage equipment.

Done well, a project sized precisely and, where relevant, complemented by storage remains profitable; the continued rise in the price of electricity (~3%/year) only strengthens that appeal over time. Our article profitability of solar panels sets out the full calculation (NPV, IRR, comparison with other investments).

What should you do now? The 2026 action plan

The reform does not change how to put together a good project; it simply makes every optimisation decisive. Six reflexes:

• Size for self-consumption. Now that surplus is barely paid for at all (0.011 €/kWh), the aim is no longer to cover your whole roof but to match your consumption. That is where most of the gain is made.
• Look into storage. A physical battery, a virtual battery or simply managing usage (EMS, solar diverter): all ways of valuing the surplus other than at 0.011 €/kWh, especially if your evening consumption is high.
• Secure the 5.5% VAT rate. Check the five conditions before signing: ≤ 9 kWp, dwelling (whatever its age), carbon footprint of the panels (PPE2-V2), heavy metals within the limits, and EMS installed. Forgetting the EMS tips the whole invoice to 20%.
• Check the panel certification on certisolis.com before the quote, not after.
• Explore local aid from your municipality and region on france-renov.gouv.fr: it does not make up for the bonus but can lighten the bill.
• Compare several quotes from qualified installers and simulate your actual case before committing.

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