The MaPrimeRénov' window for comprehensive renovations reopens, but with limited aid

Faced with a significant influx of applications since the end of 2024, the State had decreed a summer break in the subsidy scheme for individuals for their work projects combining several types of work to improve the energy performance of their homes.

Households can once again submit their applications, but the conditions for granting them are restricted: only homes classified as E, F or G in the performance diagnosis are eligible and the work ceilings on which the amount of aid is calculated are lowered to a maximum of 40.000 euros (compared to 70.000 euros previously).

A very low-income household could thus receive a maximum of 32.000 euros, compared to 63.000 euros under the old rules.

In July, the government indicated that it wanted to prioritize households with very low incomes and then serve other income categories depending on remaining means.

Stability

This reopening of the window does not, however, mean that the budget tap is being turned back on. The backlog of applications already submitted before June was such that it will certainly consume the entire €3,6 billion budget planned for 2025.

Thus, a maximum of 13.000 new applications could be accepted by the end of 2025, but they will be "processed and initiated in the first quarter of 2026, subject to the vote on the finance law," according to the Ministry of Housing.

The ministry said in a statement Monday that "as of September 12, 2025, 71.828 major renovations had already been undertaken, compared to 37.626 at the same date last year," a period disrupted by rule changes.

The 3,6 billion envelope was calibrated for a target of 62.000 comprehensive renovations financed in 2025 (excluding co-ownerships).

These new criteria have been criticized by many elected officials and associations who fear that the subsidies will no longer be sufficient for low-income households and who deplore the fact that the State is not adding to the pot to keep up with the enthusiasm of individuals who are finally taking advantage of the MaPrimeRénov' aid.

The construction sector, for its part, is tired and annoyed by the constant rule changes since the system's creation. The latest is the exclusion, starting in 2026, of wall insulation and the installation of biomass boilers (wood and pellets) from the list of work eligible for "MaPrimeRénov' par geste" for isolated work.

The sector is demanding stability for 2026, something that the outgoing Minister for Housing, Valérie Létard, had promised, including maintaining the budget in 2026, but nothing has been less certain since the fall of the Bayrou government in early September.

During this summer closure, 25.000 grant applications were examined, for a total of 935 million euros in potential grants, according to the Ministry of Housing, which adds that "36 million euros of fraud was prevented and the approvals of the corresponding companies were withdrawn."

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.