7 out of 10 French people suffer from heat in their home

Thermal suffering, a major issue in France

69% of French people say they suffer from excessively high temperatures in their homes during periods of high heat. They are in particular 30% to suffer from it more and more often. A problem which, according to the forecasts of Météo France, will increase. It is clear that heat waves have multiplied in the country in recent years. Of the 43 heat waves observed since 1947, only 9 took place before 1989. In just eleven years, between 2010 and 2021, 19 affected France (source: Météo France).

9 out of 10 French people (88%) consider it important to find a solution to reduce the temperature in homes, almost half of them (46%) in the very short term. An observation shared by Hervé Lamy, General Delegate of Groupement Actibaie, union member of the FFB (French Building Federation): “Heat problems are not the prerogative of thermal sieves, which already total 5 million homes. Even housing that performs well on winter thermals can be very uncomfortable during very hot periods. It is time for the public authorities to tackle this subject head-on for existing housing, as they have done in new buildings with the RE 2020. "

A sustainable solution: blinds and shutters

Closing the blinds and/or shutters is by far the first action taken to cool the home for 82% of French people, followed by airing the rooms at night (77%), closing the windows during periods of sunshine (62%) use a fan (41%) and finally an air conditioner (21%).

For Hervé Lamy, sustainable solutions to reduce the temperature exist. “Blinds and shutters are indeed very effective in reducing the indoor temperature. In individual houses, the discomfort indicator (DH) can be reduced by 40% by installing shutters and manual blinds. If they are automated, this indicator can still be lowered by another 20%. Measurements in a recently renovated school have shown that the difference can be 10°C between the outside and the inside only thanks to solar protection. »

These solutions are all the more popular since nearly half of the owners say they are ready to equip or renovate their homes for the installation or automation of blinds and shutters if financial aid from the State were offered. “Currently, aid schemes for energy renovation do not include the issue of summer comfort. Blinds and shutters are totally excluded. On this subject, France is lagging behind compared to our German or Italian neighbors who have taken the plunge. It is social and ecological nonsense, incompatible with the environmental objectives set by the State. »

Limit the use of air conditioning

While 21% of French people today use air conditioning, nearly a fifth (19%) of non-users say they intend to buy an air conditioner, which would bring the level of equipment in French homes to 40%.

According to an Ademe report published in June 2021, air conditioning is today responsible for nearly 5% of CO2 equivalent emissions in the building sector in France. “It is urgent to renovate housing to limit the use of air conditioning, which consumes too much energy. We must think about environmental impact and energy sobriety... It has become a necessity in the current geopolitical context, but also and above all, to deal with the worsening of global warming. »