Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): Some electrically heated homes will be better rated without any work being required from January 1, 2027

The method for calculating the energy performance diagnosis (DPE) will change again on January 1, 2027. The decree of August 19, 2026, modifying the conversion factor of final energy into primary energy of electricity , published in the Official Journal of August 26, reduces this coefficient from 1,9 to 1,7.

The measure applies to energy performance certificates (EPCs) for residential properties, as well as those for existing non-residential buildings and energy audits using the same calculation method. It follows an initial reform that came into effect on January 1, 2026, which had already lowered the electrical coefficient from 2,3 to 1,9.

What exactly does the decree of August 19, 2026 change?

The first two articles of the decree replace the value of 1,9 with that of 1,7 in the texts governing the calculation of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The amendment concerns Annex 3 of the decree of March 31, 2021, applicable to residential buildings, and Annex 3 of the decree of September 15, 2006, concerning certain existing non-residential buildings offered for sale.

New energy performance certificates (EPCs) and energy audits carried out from January 1, 2027, will automatically incorporate this coefficient. Until December 31, 2026, professionals must continue to apply the value of 1,9.

The decree of August 13, 2025, which regulated the reduction from 2,3 to 1,9, will be repealed upon the entry into force of the new text. However, certificates already issued based on it will remain valid until the expiry date of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or the audit to which they relate.

Final energy and primary energy: how does the coefficient work?

Final energy corresponds to the energy actually delivered and consumed in the building. This includes electricity, gas, fuel oil, or wood that powers the equipment and appears, directly or indirectly, on the energy bill.

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), however, operates in terms of primary energy. This concept incorporates the energy used upstream to produce, transform, and deliver the final energy to the building. For electricity, the conversion from one to the other is achieved using a conversion factor.

With the current coefficient set at 1,9, an all-electric dwelling conventionally consuming 100 kWh of final energy per square meter per year is allocated 190 kWh of primary energy. From 2027, this same consumption will be accounted for at 170 kWh of primary energy.

The electricity consumption considered on the energy axis of the DPE will thus decrease by approximately 10,5% between the scales 1,9 and 1,7. However, this calculation does not change the electricity actually consumed by the occupant.

Why is the Government lowering the coefficient to 1,7?

The coefficient of 1,9 corresponds to the default European value and has been applied in France since January 1, 2026. The Government has nevertheless chosen to adopt a national value of 1,7 in order to better take into account the composition of the French electricity mix and to support the electrification of uses in buildings.

The stated objective is to penalize homes heated with electricity less than buildings using gas or heating oil, which emit more greenhouse gases. The measure should also improve the energy efficiency rating that can result from replacing fossil fuel equipment with a heat pump or a thermodynamic water heater.

This decision was the subject of a public consultation held from July 9 to August 6, 2026. Of the 108 unique contributions collected, 29 were in favor of lowering the standard and 78 were against. Several contributors criticized what they considered an artificial improvement to the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which could reduce incentives to renovate homes whose energy consumption and comfort levels remain unchanged.

Which buildings will be able to gain a class?

All buildings use some electricity, particularly for lighting and certain auxiliary systems. The reform will therefore reduce their conventional primary energy consumption, all other things being equal. However, its effect will be much more pronounced when heating and domestic hot water production are electric.

Dwellings equipped with convectors, electric radiators, a heat pump, an electric or thermodynamic water heater and located near a class threshold are the most likely to be reclassified.

According to the official FAQ from the Ministry of Construction, the energy rating can improve by one class and, in rare cases, particularly for small dwellings, by two classes. This improvement will not be automatic, and no building will see its rating downgraded solely due to a change in the coefficient.

The carbon label can prevent any reclassification

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) has two components: a label measuring primary energy consumption and another relating to greenhouse gas emissions. The final rating corresponds to the worst of the two.

The new decree only modifies the calculation of primary energy associated with electricity. It does not change emission factors or the carbon label. A dwelling classified as F or G due to its emissions will therefore remain an energy sieve, even if its primary energy consumption decreases.

This rule explains why homes heated with gas or oil are unlikely to benefit much from the reform. Their low electricity consumption may slightly improve their energy rating, but their emissions could still determine the final ranking.

The administration estimates approximately 300.000 removals of poorly insulated buildings.

The Government estimates that approximately 300.000 homes will move out of energy efficiency classes F and G when the standard is raised to 1,7, primarily those heated by electricity. This estimate is based on the state of the housing stock on January 1, 2025, which at that time included 3,2 million energy-inefficient homes among primary residences.

The administration acknowledges that these changes will occur "without any actual physical alteration to the buildings or immediate reduction in their energy consumption." A better energy rating therefore does not mean that the dwelling has been insulated, that its equipment has become more efficient, or that its bills will decrease.

The change concerns a regulatory agreement. It may modify the displayed class and the obligations associated with it, but not the technical characteristics of the building.

OneDPE's additional analysis

An analysis conducted by OneDPE using the public database of the French Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe) sheds further light on the effects of the two successive reductions in the coefficient. These results do not constitute official statistics and are based on recorded energy performance certificates, not necessarily for the same number of separate dwellings.

According to this study, the reduction from 2,3 to 1,9 has already allowed 392.948 diagnoses to move out of classes F and G, out of 14.938.757 records for which ADEME had retained both the old and new classifications. This would represent 22,86% of the leaky systems in this population.

The effect would be strongly linked to the use of electricity: the exit rate would reach 45,04% among all-electric homes, compared to 2,31% when electricity represents less than 25% of the consumption studied.

For the change from 1,9 to 1,7, OneDPE reconstructs 161.479 additional exits from a scope of 9.625.591 diagnostics. Extrapolated to the stock of primary residences, this result would correspond to approximately 275.000 dwellings, within a range of 248.000 to 294.000, close to the official figure of 300.000.

The two figures of 392.948 and 161.479 should not be added together directly, as they are based on different areas. The count may also include several successive assessments concerning the same property.

More than 600.000 diagnoses would remain blocked by their emissions

OneDPE also estimates that 604.669 energy performance certificates would remain classified as F or G with a coefficient of 1,7 solely due to their carbon label. Among these, 95,46% would concern dwellings heated by gas or oil.

This result illustrates the limit of regulatory change: a coefficient applied to electricity cannot improve the carbon component of a building heated by fossil fuel.

For these dwellings, exiting classes F and G generally requires intervention on the equipment and, depending on the condition of the building, a prior reduction of needs through insulation, treatment of heat loss, ventilation and improvement of regulation.

Do existing energy performance certificates (EPCs) need to be redone?

Existing energy performance certificates (EPCs) remain valid for their regulatory period, set at ten years for assessments carried out since July 1, 2021. The owner will therefore not be obliged to order a new assessment to benefit from the coefficient of 1,7.

From January 1, 2027, owners will be able to enter their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) number on the ADEME's EPC-Audit Observatory and download a free certificate indicating the new energy performance rating. This new rating will replace the original rating without changing the input data or the recommended work from the assessment.

The certificate will have the same expiry date as the original Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). In its absence, the initial assessment will remain legally valid.

A similar system is planned for energy audits. The certificate will be able to specify the new energy classes before and after each of the proposed scenarios, without modifying the work or the technical data included in the initial audit.

What are the consequences for sales, rentals and subsidies?

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) issued before January 1, 2027, as well as official certificates of change in energy rating, can be used for sales and rentals. The certificate will notably serve as proof that a property has changed its energy rating due to the new calculation.

In metropolitan France, the energy decency schedule from the Climate and Resilience Law remains unchanged: G-rated housing has been considered non-decent since January 1, 2025, F-rated housing will be from 2028 and E-rated housing from 2034.

When an official certificate upgrades a dwelling from G to F or E, it can once again meet the energy efficiency standard for decency applicable in 2027. An upgrade from F to E can also change its status with regard to the 2028 deadline. The other decency criteria and the general rules governing rents nevertheless remain applicable.

For audits carried out before 2027, the certificate can also be included in applications for energy renovation grants, particularly MaPrimeRénov'. According to the government's FAQ, the applicant will remain responsible for choosing which document to submit: the initial audit, the document calculated using the new coefficient, or the certificate.

What changes for building and real estate professionals?

Diagnosticians, design offices, auditors and software publishers will have to use tools incorporating the coefficient of 1,7 for documents published from January 1, 2027. Particular vigilance will be required for studies and audits initiated at the end of 2026 but finalized after the entry into force of the text.

Real estate agents, notaries, landlords, trustees and managers will have to distinguish the original DPE from the certificate issued by Ademe and check their validity period.

For renovation companies, the reform may change the number of energy efficiency classes achieved in work simulations, particularly when the scenario includes a heat pump or high-performance electrical equipment. However, it should not lead to confusing conventional reclassification with a genuine improvement in the building envelope, comfort, or energy consumption.

The five checks to be carried out from 2027

• Check the date of issue of the DPE and the applicable coefficient;
• Identify the energy sources used for heating and domestic hot water production;
• Compare the energy label and the carbon label separately;
• Download the official Ademe certificate if the classification changes;
• Evaluate the work based on consumption, comfort and the condition of the building, and not solely on the letter displayed on the EPC.