One in ten French people are experiencing energy poverty

3,1 million households were in a situation of energy poverty in 2023, or 10,1% of the population, according to the latest figures from the National Observatory of Energy Poverty, released on Monday, November 17, on the eve of the day dedicated to this subject.

Households in the bottom 30% who have spent more than 8% of their income on energy costs for their homes are considered to be in a situation of energy insecurity.

This affected 3,2 million households in 2022.

The number of people who say they suffer from the cold has increased from 30% in 2024 to 35% in 2025, among a sample of 2.000 people surveyed by the national energy ombudsman.

The proportion of French people who say they have struggled to pay some gas or electricity bills in the last twelve months has also jumped from 28% in 2024 to 36% in 2025, an unprecedented rate, according to the mediator, who published his annual barometer at the end of October.

"This is a very rapid increase over just one year," worries Maider Olivier, coordinator of the Day Against Energy Poverty, which mobilizes around twenty organizations committed to energy renovation, against social exclusion and global warming.

Although this issue concerns one in ten French people, "the fight against energy poverty does not appear to be among the priorities of the new government of Sébastien Lecornu," regret the organizers of the day of action.

Worse still, after "years" of asking for "better-calibrated state aid for low-income households and energy-saving renovations" to renovate housing, Manuel Domergue, from the Foundation for Housing the Disadvantaged, deplores the weakening of MaPrimeRénov' aid.

The MaPrimeRénov' subsidies for comprehensive housing renovations were suspended this summer due to an excessive number of applications and attempted fraud.

When the office reopened at the end of September, "the level of aid was halved. A very modest household will now receive a maximum of 32.000 euros," for "work that can cost 70.000 or even 90.000 euros," continues the director of studies at the Housing Foundation.

As of January 1, 2025, 12,7% of primary residences were energy inefficient, representing 3,9 million homes, according to government statistics.

In addition to housing, 15 million people were in precarious situations in terms of mobility in 2023 and cannot travel as much as they would like or have to give up traveling, according to the National Observatory of Energy Poverty (ONPE) and the Wemoov association.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.