UFC-Que Choisir criticizes energy savings certificates (CEE): a system deemed dysfunctional and too costly for households

CEE, a very expensive system for households

Households are the main financiers of the CEE scheme, via their energy and fuel bills, while CEE can be unfairly mobilized in other sectors that do not contribute to it, notably industry. The average annual contribution of households fluctuates, according to our estimates and different profiles, between €124 and €244 per year per household. This is a significant financial burden, set to increase if the level of obligation for the next period continues its inflationary curve. Indeed, given the Government's recent announcements planning to increase the CEE contribution to the financing of energy efficiency work by 25%, sharp increases in household energy bills are to be feared from 2026...

CEE, an ineffective and opaque system

Nearly 40% of the CEEs issued do not correspond to actual direct energy savings. Fraud is widespread, up to 50% in some transactions! Households are thus paying for a system riddled with fraud and which only very partially guarantees the promised energy savings.

CEE bonuses, unclear and fluctuating amounts

The UFC-Que Choisir study shows that, given the same situation, the amounts of CEE bonuses vary greatly depending on the provider. This lack of transparency, combined with a multitude of intermediaries, confuses households, who struggle to obtain a reliable estimate of the total cost of the transaction and the amount of the CEE bonus.

CEE, a system that does not guarantee the achievement of real energy savings

The amount of CEE bonuses is determined based on theoretical energy savings. Households are therefore unable to be assured that renovation work will ultimately result in real energy savings and, ultimately, a return on investment. Furthermore, in order to encourage households to opt for certain types of work, the amount of CEE bonuses associated with targeted work is artificially inflated, thus promising overestimated energy savings.

UFC-Que Choisir's requests

Faced with the growing importance of the CEE system, UFC-Que Choisir advocates its rapid and thorough reform. For a truly equitable and effective energy renovation policy, the association calls for:

• Stop the inflation of the CEE component in household bills;
• Improve information for households on their contribution to the system and have all beneficiaries contribute to its financing;
• Set up a one-stop shop in the gesture-based process for work eligible for MaPrimeRénov' and CEE;
• Limit the funding of programs implementing actions decided by the State through the CEE;
• Review the methods for calculating CEE bonuses, in particular by determining their amount based on the actual direct energy savings that the work will achieve.

For Marie-Amandine Stevenin, President of UFC-Que Choisir: "Without a thorough reform of the system, millions of households will continue to finance renovation work and support programs that do not guarantee real energy savings. The reform to be carried out must make this system, which is too costly and opaque for consumers, more transparent, fair, understandable, and effective."

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.