“Pure precaution.” Faced with the uncertainty of the power supply this winter, Aimé Hoeffler, 61, like many French people, took a risk and invested in a generator to supply “essential” equipment.
For 2,000 euros, a new 5,000-watt diesel generator installed in his garage can run for ten hours with a full tank, explains this retiree who lives in Rohrbach-lès-Bitche (Moselle).
Given the energy crisis, caused by the war in Ukraine and aggravated by the maintenance problems of the nuclear reactors, this winter there could be programmed and focused cuts in the event of an overload of the electrical network. Even as the government and operators try to reassure the population, Aimé Hoeffler is not alone in preparing for the worst.
Sales multiplied by 4
“Since the end of the summer,” sales of generators have increased significantly in Castorama, “with a very strong increase in particular in the last two weeks,” says a spokesman for the group, which “began very early to organize.”
Compared to 2021, the quantities sold have multiplied by 2.5 in the last four months and by four in the last two weeks, the company detailed.
At Mr. Hoeffler, the generator will only be able to run “the essentials”: freezer, appliances and “if possible” the electric heat pump for heating.
A year of sales in three months
Same story on the side of the Mr Bricolage poster. “In less than three months, we have made the equivalent of a year of sales,” said commercial director Hervé Onfray, noting that the demand is “greater in rural areas and small towns,” “less” in “large urban centers “.
According to him, DIY stores see the arrival of three typical customers. In the first place, “rural households (…) that need repairs and are going to buy low-consumption generators to run small appliances or lighting.” Then, families “who are afraid of losing their food and want more powerful devices, capable of operating several devices at the same time.” Finally, “small businesses concerned about the continuity of their activity in the event of a power outage, equip themselves with powerful electric generators.”
Supply difficulties
Your flagship product? Mid-range generators -between 450 and 599 euros- that allow “to connect refrigerators, freezers or ovens”, which are breaking like doughnuts. So much so that “the demand is greater than the supply, despite our anticipation,” laments Hervé Onfray.
Seeing the change in trend “as of July”, Mr. Bricolage had supplied his stores “for the equivalent of a year of sales”.
In Plérin, near Saint-Brieuc in Brittany, “it’s crazy.” At high-capacity industrial generator maker Gelec, “we’ve had an explosion of orders” since the end of August, up 80% in one year, director Eric Lemoine reports.
Waiting times are getting longer
The stock of some 400 machines, accumulated at the end of 2021 to compensate for the rise in prices, “is melting” and “we have practically none left” before a new delivery in the coming days, he explains. Waiting times are getting longer despite the stock and the increase in production expected from the end of summer.
Demand is advancing above all on the side of supermarkets, eager to preserve the cold chain, but also on the side of “many small SMEs that, for two hours (cut), are forced to stop their entire activity for almost a day because the machines will take a long time to reboot,” explains Eric Lemoine.
The calculation is sometimes done quickly: he cites the example of this restaurateur, for whom investing 20,000 euros in a generator is equivalent to the cost of a day of activity amputated by a power outage.
Given the increase in demand, Gelec has incorporated six new employees and will begin the expansion of its warehouse by 500 m2.
Source: BFM TV
