Aid for energy renovation of housing still ineffective according to UFC-Que Choisir

A national ambition, a disappointing reality

The construction sector is responsible for 16% of greenhouse gas emissions in France. To address this challenge, the Climate and Resilience Act sets an ambitious target: renovating the entire residential building stock by 2050.

By 2024, the public authorities were aiming to renovate 700.000 homes, by combining two types of process:

• major renovation, which consists of carrying out several additional works and aims to considerably improve the energy performance of the accommodation;
• renovation by gesture, which consists of isolated work gestures (replacing a boiler, insulating a wall, etc.), less effective in sustainably reducing energy consumption.

But the results fell far short of expectations. Only 91.374 major renovations were completed, compared to the 200.000 expected. Conversely, renovations by gesture still dominate, with 340.800 operations recorded in 2024.

These figures demonstrate the failure of current measures to encourage households to make efficient renovations. Meanwhile, living conditions are deteriorating: 26% of French men and women reported having suffered from the cold in their homes in 2023, and nearly 60% from the heat.

To permanently eradicate energy poverty and improve the thermal comfort of housing, the massification of large-scale renovations is essential.

Aid that is difficult to access and financially unincentivizing

MaPrimeRénov' (MPR), which accounts for 88% of renovation aid, remains a complex program for households to use. A quarter of beneficiaries consider the administrative procedures "too complex." The situation is even more problematic for Energy Savings Certificates (CEE), particularly in the context of a renovation by gesture: households must identify the bonus offers themselves, without a public comparison tool to guide them in their choice.

Beyond these administrative hurdles, the level of aid often remains insufficient, particularly for middle- and upper-income households. In the case of a major renovation, MPR support can be limited to 20% of the cost of the work, even for very ambitious projects. As for very low-income households, while they can benefit from a reduced out-of-pocket cost, they must nevertheless advance up to 70% of the amount of aid. For many, this advance constitutes a major financial obstacle, despite the theoretical aid granted.

Support still marginal despite its essential role

In a sector exposed to the risk of fraud, support is crucial. While the implementation of Mon Accompagnateur Rénov' is a step forward, its cost for households can reach €3.000 and therefore, for many of them, constitutes a prohibitive obstacle to launching major renovations.

The study highlights the need to make the France Rénov' network a systematic, reinforced and accessible route, to guarantee all households a clear, secure and efficient route.

UFC-Que Choisir's requests

Given the scale of the challenges, UFC-Que Choisir calls for an immediate change in approach. For a truly effective and equitable renovation policy, the association demands:

• The establishment of a one-stop shop for all assistance, including in the context of renovations by gesture;
• The creation of an official, free and independent comparator of CEE bonuses;
• The revaluation of advance levels, particularly for low-income households, and their extension to the middle classes;
• A strengthening of public support for support, mandatory in the context of a major renovation;
• The mobilization of banks to disseminate the zero-interest eco-loan, with quantified and monitored objectives.

For Marie-Amandine Stévenin, president of UFC-Que Choisir: "Without structural and targeted reforms, France will not achieve its objectives in terms of improving the energy performance of housing. Millions of households will continue to pay the consequences in terms of their comfort and health. It's not just a question of energy performance, it's also a question of dignity."

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.