79% of French people dream of being energy independent... But only 9% have the capacity to actually be so today

HASE, a German manufacturer of high-quality wood-burning stoves for over 45 years, surveyed* nearly 2.102 people representative of the French population living in single-family homes to estimate the percentage of households that could benefit from energy autonomy.

Access to an ideal energy autonomy solution must involve a combination of three complementary sources: solar panels coupled with batteries, a wood-burning stove, and enhanced home insulation. These criteria are most often incompatible with apartments and therefore only apply to single-family homes.

According to INSEE, nearly 57% of French people live in single-family homes (source November 2024) and are therefore likely to implement these energy autonomy systems, but which also depend on several factors: type of housing, region, income and local regulations.

Device No. 1: More than 1 in 2 houses can be compatible with a wood stove

Among French people living in detached houses, more than 55% believe it's technically feasible to install a wood-burning stove in their home. This figure is likely to increase, given that nearly 14% don't actually know how to answer this question.

This ability to use wood heating is still largely underrepresented, given that more than 67% report not currently having this type of device. Furthermore, only 11% of those equipped use wood heating as their primary source of heat, and only 22% as a supplementary heating source.

Device No. 2: 49% of households can benefit from solar energy

Just like installing stoves, there are some obstacles to equipping oneself with solar panels and batteries: the costs of a photovoltaic installation vary between 7.500 and 30.000 euros for powers of 3 to 12 kWp (source Hello Watt), and everything also depends on the profitability obtained depending on the region. Thus, more than 51% of households believe their home is well exposed to the sun. A feeling that is obviously stronger in the south/southwest (64%) and west (59%) regions than in the east (45%) or north/northeast (34%).

Whether their home is well-exposed or not, it is sometimes impossible to install a photovoltaic system. However, more than 47% of French people believe they have the option of installing solar panels.

Thus, taking an average of these two figures, 2% of households would have the possibility of installing a solar energy source for their individual home.

A prospect that would appeal to 3 out of 5 French people (61%) who say they are ready to invest in a solar installation with battery if the aid offered could cover at least half of the necessary costs.

Device No. 3: Only 1/3 of homes are well insulated

Often referred to as "energy sieves," F and G-rated housing represents 13,9% of the main residence stock, or approximately 4,2 million homes.

Thus, 33% of housing in France is well insulated: 7,2% is very energy efficient (A, B), average 25,7% (C), very average 32,1% (D), poor energy performance 21,1% (E) and very energy efficient 13,8% (F and G) (Source Ministry of Regional Planning 2024).

Grants (MaPrimeRénov', CEE) help improve access to insulation, but the cost remains a barrier for many households given that the cost of the work can vary from €15.000 to €30.000 for a 100m² house (source: Hello Watt).

This insulation problem is aggravated by the French people's lack of knowledge about the energy class of their homes, given that 39% are unable to give it and most give an incorrect estimate.

Thus, according to figures from the Ministry, nearly 33% of French people have suitable insulation for real autonomy (classes A, B 7% + C 26%) while more than 44% think this is possible.

If the aid dedicated to insulation work were more substantial and covered 60% to 80% of the costs, more than 59% of French people would be prepared to carry it out in order to achieve a better energy class.

The 3-device solution: A strong desire for energy autonomy but…

Considering the three probabilities (3%, 49% and 55%), only 33% of French people can actually be energy independent at present.

A figure well below the wishes of more than 79% of households who would like to be able to achieve this energy autonomy.

However, the French are quite clear-sighted about their ability to become energy self-sufficient. In detail, only 19% admit to thinking this is realistic in their current situation, 27% that it is impossible, 16% don't know, and 38% only with more aid.

*Methodology: Survey conducted on a representative sample of 2.102 people residing in France in a single-family home, aged 18 and over. Survey conducted online from April 15 to 23, 2025, using the BuzzPress respondent panel (27.500 people in France surveyed electronically by email and on the social networks Facebook and LinkedIn). Responses compiled and weighted according to pre-established quotas to ensure the representativeness of the sample and to obtain representativeness of the target population. All weightings are based on administrative data and data collected by INSEE.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.