Threat to MaPrimeRenov': Industry professionals denounce an unacceptable blow to energy renovation

A member of the Anah board of directors and another close source told AFP that closing the office is a possibility being discussed. "Nothing has been decided," the Ministry of Housing stated, denying that the MaPrimeRénov' budget could be depleted prematurely.

This would mean, if necessary, that no more grant applications could be submitted from July onwards. "An absolute catastrophe," according to Jacques Baudrier, PCF deputy mayor of Paris in charge of housing.

A "blow to energy renovation" for the National Agency for Housing Information (ANIL)

Stéphane Troussel, president of the National Agency for Housing Information (ANIL), expressed his deep concern over the discussions surrounding the suspension of the MaPrimeRénov' scheme from July 2025.

This abrupt decision would jeopardize the momentum of energy renovation in our country. It would send a signal of instability to both households and professionals in the sector, even though the ecological transition requires clarity, consistency, and continuity.

This decision, if it were to come to fruition, would confirm a culpable lack of political will to make energy renovation a genuine national priority, commensurate with the colossal climatic and social challenges.

For two years, the budgetary trajectory of MaPrimeRénov' has already reflected a decline in the State's ambition for energy renovation. By 2024, more than two billion euros had already been cut compared to the initial announcements, reducing the budget from 4,5 billion to 2,3 billion euros. This trend was confirmed in 2025, with the budget renewed at the same level, largely insufficient to meet the stated objectives.

This disengagement is also illustrated by the questioning of the funding granted to local authorities to carry out this energy renovation policy, even though they are major players in it.

However, energy renovation of housing represents a key lever for responding to the climate emergency, reducing household energy bills, and improving their living comfort.

Every day, ADIL teams support families who want to undertake renovations. They need visibility. Suspending this program mid-year would effectively halt the momentum of hundreds of thousands of projects, often undertaken by low-income households.

This is not simply a budgetary issue. It is an issue of social justice and ecological transition. If adjustments are necessary, they must be anticipated, coordinated, and supported, not decided upon in a hurry.

CAPEB warns of a new blow for craft construction companies and the energy transition

A suspension of the credits allocated to MaPrimeRénov' is being considered as early as July, Le Parisien announced today. If it were to prove true soon, this news would cause the greatest incomprehension from the CAPEB since to date, only 1,3 billion in credits have been committed.

This would be a further blow to the already depressed construction industry, which had planned to develop the energy renovation market. Such a decision would be in line with the Government's short-term, strictly budgetary logic, ignoring all the economic, social, and fiscal benefits of the energy renovation market and incompatible with the need to meet the needs of our fellow citizens, environmental objectives, and the crisis facing the construction industry.

An unbalanced system subject to budgetary uncertainties

Since last year, the choice has been made to prioritize large-scale renovations. However, these renovations are much more expensive—and therefore consume more public aid—and more attractive to fraudsters, unlike single-action projects that were reintroduced into the system thanks to the strong mobilization of the CAPEB. Some players have been able to take advantage of the system by adapting their offers to the maximum ceiling of the bonus, leading to overcharging, resulting in a budgetary stranglehold on the system, a surge in the number of applications with excessive amounts, as well as an eviction effect on low-income households and local artisans.

In light of the situation, the CAPEB deplores the lack of multi-year programming for such a system and considers it necessary to cap the amounts to prevent a minority of very high-value applications from absorbing the majority of the credits. It continues to advocate for the implementation of a multi-year work process. Overall renovation would thus be accessible by carrying out a series of less expensive single actions and the payment of public aid gradually with a bonus at the end of the process, thereby significantly limiting the interest in fraud.

Very serious consequences for small businesses

The abrupt suspension of MaPrimeRénov, the main tool for supporting energy renovation work, would be a real blow to small-scale construction companies, already weakened by a tense economic climate. In the first quarter of 2025, the volume of activity of small-scale construction companies has declined for eight consecutive quarters (-8% compared to the first quarter of 5). Our sector is sinking into a structural crisis.

Construction industry businesses, which are already facing often excessive administrative processing times, would see their construction sites suspended, their cash flow destabilized, their investment capacity frozen, and their order books heavily impacted by this sudden interruption of the system. For an artisan sector composed mainly of locally anchored VSEs, this disruption directly threatens local employment, regional economic activity, and national energy renovation objectives.

A decision that would be incomprehensible

The CAPEB notes that the MaPrimeRénov' budget currently stands at 1,3 billion, and that only 100.000 energy renovations have been undertaken to date, out of a capacity of 300.000. It would be more than regrettable if the energy transition, essential for both households and the planet, were to become a budgetary adjustment variable.

For Jean-Christophe Repon, president of CAPEB: "Craftspeople are now waiting for clear guarantees on the continuation of this system and the government's determination to strengthen it by organizing a pragmatic distribution of funds. They want to know if the applications submitted by June 30, 2025, will actually all be settled. They are also wondering about the future: Will this simply be a temporary freeze or a complete overhaul of the system in 2026? Craftspeople in the construction industry need visibility and stability, particularly in this complicated economic context where their business and cash flow are weakened."

The freezing of MaPrimeRénov' "unacceptable!" for the FFB

After the budget freeze at the beginning of 2025, now there's the specter of a total freeze on MaPrimeRénov' for the second half of the year. This is incomprehensible and unacceptable!

The FFB strongly opposes this: such a freeze would disrupt the decarbonization momentum underway, disrupt construction companies, and discourage households. The entire energy renovation ecosystem would be destroyed.

Once again, instability strikes. The course set since the Grenelle Environment Forum in 2007 is in jeopardy; the energy transition is over!

For Olivier Salleron, president of the FFB: "We can't call for accelerating energy renovations and, at the same time, sabotage one of the only tools that works! We have to choose. Perpetuating MaPrimeRénov' means restoring confidence and giving purchasing power back to the most disadvantaged. The government can't procrastinate on such a matter; 100.000 jobs are threatened, and anger is brewing!"

Intercommunalities of France requests explanations

Elected officials from inter-municipal authorities, fully committed to the energy renovation of homes, are expressing their deep concern following press reports that the MaPrimeRénov' scheme will be frozen in 2025. Many of these inter-municipal authorities provide daily support to local households and businesses in their renovation projects and are demanding explanations from the government as soon as possible.

Already cut in part of its credits in 2024, dropping from 4,5 to 2,3 billion euros, the MaPrimeRénov' scheme, which supports households in their energy renovation work, could again be called into question in 2025, according to press revelations.

Inter-municipal authorities, through their local housing plans, their housing centres, their involvement in regional housing and accommodation committees, etc., are fully mobilised and in direct contact with the French people and small and medium-sized construction companies to support them in the energy renovation effort for housing, which is essential to achieving France's climate objectives.

Intercommunalités de France would like to have all the information on the Government's intentions regarding the future of the MaPrimeRénov' scheme as soon as possible, if only to provide tangible prospects to the millions of French people waiting for renovation work.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.