France unveils new climate targets with renovation of 400.000 homes and 200.000 collective housing units per year by 2030

France aims to renovate "400.000 individual houses and 200.000 collective housing units each year on average by 2030" to achieve its climate objectives of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, indicates the new National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC) presented by the government on Monday, November 4.

The construction sector should in total reduce its emissions to 35 Mt of CO2 equivalent per year in 2030 against 62 Mt in 2022 and 93 Mt in 1990, the reference year, to achieve the national objectives, indicate the modeling documents presented Monday by sector of activity.

Housing and construction in France have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 5,5% between July 2023 and June 2024. They represent 16% of France's gross emissions.

Due to the very high carbon intensity of fuel oil, the replacement of fuel oil boilers (the installation of which has been prohibited since mid-2022) will be "prioritized from 2030" to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from homes, specifies the document, which underlines the need to "accelerate" the dynamics of decarbonization of heating vectors and significantly reduce energy consumption.

In the tertiary sector, offices and businesses should no longer consume fuel oil at all from 2030.

To achieve the objectives, the SNBC's so-called reference scenario provides in particular for the replacement of 75% of fuel oil boilers by a decarbonized heating system by 2030, i.e. around 300.000 households per year, and the replacement of 20 to 25% of gas boilers by 2030, i.e. around 350.000 households per year.

The number of homes using heat pumps (aerothermal or geothermal) as the main heating method is expected to increase from 2,5 to 9 million in 2030, adds the document, which specifies that a "specific plan" will be put in place to develop heat pumps in collective housing.

The SNBC also plans a "massive development of heat networks" in urban areas, with in particular an annual rate of connections expected to reach "300.000 to 360.000 homes on average per year by 2035".

To achieve the renovations, the SNBC expects the sector to achieve 210.000 specialized jobs by 2030.

France presented several climate and energy programming documents on Monday, including plans to reduce the country's share of fossil fuels in its consumption from 60% in 2022 to 42% in 2030.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.