The decree amending the conditions of energy saving certificates (CEE) for renovation work is published

The decree amending the terms of application of energy saving certificates (CEE) for major renovation work on houses and apartments for the benefit of low-income households was published in the Official Journal on Saturday, June 14.

These works now benefit from a bonus for low-income households, which should encourage companies concerned by the CEE to finance them.

The decree provides that the total volume of energy savings certificates issued to a company for the financing of a major thermal renovation in a low-income household is multiplied by a coefficient of 4, when this work is "valuable" by the National Housing Agency (Anah), that is to say, when it is the subject of a MaPrimeRénov' grant.

This support scheme for energy renovation of homes has been overwhelmed by a very large number of applications since the end of 2024, which prompted the government to announce its suspension from July 1st until mid-September.

It has a budget of 3,6 billion euros, considered insufficient by many stakeholders, and the Minister for Housing, Valérie Létard, indicated on Tuesday that it would be "supplemented with several hundred million euros in energy saving certificates."

The CEE already funds 30% of aid for the overall energy renovation of a home and the government expects that with this decree, this share will rise to 60%, according to Ms. Létard's office.

"This decree enhances a priority action to provide the Anah with the means to implement the policy of large-scale renovation of energy-intensive housing," the Ministry of the Economy announced on Saturday.

The decree published on Saturday also provides for a bonus coefficient of 2 for comprehensive thermal renovations carried out for the benefit of low-income households, but not eligible for MaPrimeRénov', such as second homes or social housing.

The condition for benefiting from this bonus is the signing of the commitment charter "Coup de pouce Rénovation d'autre part des maisons et appartements" (Helping Hand for Large-Scale Renovation of Individual Houses and Apartments).

Energy savings certificates are a system based on the polluter-pays principle, which obliges energy suppliers to finance actions to reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency.

The government, keen to find revenue dedicated to the energy transition that does not weigh on the state budget, wants to strongly redirect this system, which represents a colossal budget of 4 to 6 billion euros each year, towards the decarbonization of mobility and the improvement of the energy performance of housing.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.