Cost of works and instability of aid: global renovation shunned by the French

Since the Grenelle Environment Forum of 2007 and the Energy Transition Law of 2015, the efforts to be made to renovate the entire building stock to the "low-consumption building" (BBC) standard, and achieve carbon neutrality on the horizon 2050, remain considerable. A major challenge for the public authorities who have adopted a series of measures, between obligations and encouragements, to massiveize energy renovation works.

2023 marks an acceleration in the transition of buildings with the gradual exclusion from the rental market of the most energy-intensive properties or even the targeting of public aid (MaPrimeRénov') towards high-performance and large-scale renovations known as "global renovations".

In this context, awareness of climate change and the shock of the energy crisis, how do the French approach the subject? Elements of response with lessons from the OpinionWay-BigMat study.

Main lessons

• Improved thermal comfort, lower energy bills, emergence of green value in real estate for sellers/buyers or environmental awareness: out of conviction or constraint, 1/3 of French people plan to carry out work in the 2 years.
• While the government is pushing to direct them towards global renovations, deemed to be more efficient, 2/3 of French people consider the idea of ​​imposing packages of work to be counterproductive, preferring to be part of the long term with regular one-off renovations.
• A preference for single gestures driven by the economic context and tensions over purchasing power. The financial question is a major source of concern: difficulties in controlling costs (76% of French people), complexity of financial aid (68%), lack of funding (64%), lack of stability in incentive policies and funding (62%).
• Beyond that, the lack of manpower can seriously curb renovation ambitions: the difficulty of finding a craftsman is a matter of concern for 67% of French people.

Nearly 15 million French people* plan to carry out energy renovation work within two years

For years, the public authorities have multiplied measures to encourage individuals to carry out energy-saving work in their homes, with more recently the desire to catch up on the pace of energy renovation and its performance. Thus, January 1, 2023 marks the transition from incentive to obligation, with a first step taken towards the ban on the rental of "thermal colanders", which will concern from 2034 houses and apartments falling into class E but also, since April 1, the obligation to carry out an energy audit prior to the sale of a property classified F or G and which will then apply to D dwellings at the same deadline. And to promote greater energy savings, MaPrimeRénov' is changing to favor global renovations rather than isolated works, while of the 670.000 energy renovations recorded in 2022, only 10% of them concerned global renovation works.

• It is not certain that this initiative will win the support of the French, who consider, at 61% (67% of owners – 53% of tenants), counterproductive the idea of ​​imposing bouquets of works, finding, for their part, more effective to be long-term through regular one-off renovations. Thus, while 27% (36% of owners – 12% of tenants) plan to carry out energy renovation work over the next two years, only 5% plan to embark on work packages, which still represents more than 2,6 million individuals*.
• In fact, they are mainly oriented towards renovations by station, with the first rank of work intentions, the insulation of their property for 2/3 of them, either from the outside (6%), the roof (5%), interior walls (4%) or floor (3%). Next come forecasts for heating work (7%), changing joinery (6%) and ventilation (4%).

As a result of soaring energy prices, more than 3 million French people* have also planned to invest in photovoltaic panels to produce and consume their electricity (6%), mainly in Ile-de-France and in the south -East.

Voluntary French people but far from being serene: the rise in prices and the various shortages worry

Regarding the motivations of the French, the desire to carry out work is justified by the various current crises. On the one hand, they want to reduce their bill in an inflationary context (37%). On the other hand, they want to improve their thermal comfort in the context of an unprecedented energy crisis leading to a spectacular increase in the cost of energy (37%).

These crises associated with public awareness of environmental issues and new constraints imposed on owners are all cumulative factors that have contributed to making green value a reality in real estate: 19% of respondents want to add value to their home by financial point of view (10%) and meeting government requirements for rentals (9%). Not insignificant point which testifies to the evolution of mentalities and the awareness of environmental issues: more than 1 million French people* declare that they want to renovate their housing to be in phase with their ecological conscience (7%).

However, the French planning to carry out energy renovation work show little serenity on this subject. The financial aspect is a factor of concern for them: 76% fear encountering difficulties in controlling costs during this period of inflation and shortage. There are also many who regret the complexity of financial aid (68%) and fear a lack of funding to carry out their work (64%).

On this point, they are wary of the lack of stability of incentive and funding policies (62%) and are critical of the lack of incentives (57%), while the remaining cost remains very high. The working classes are thus particularly worried about the complexity of financial aid (81%) and the lack of funding to carry out such work (82%). This overall anxiety related to the financial dimension of the work also explains why 67% of these individuals are worried about the lack of guarantee on the effectiveness of the work undertaken.

The other main concern relates to difficulties in finding craftsmen (67%) and delays linked to the lack of labor (66%). The effects of the war in Ukraine on the construction sector also have a significant impact since 2/3 of respondents also fear delays linked to shortages and supply times (64%).

For Fabio Rinaldi, Chairman of the Management Board of BigMat France: “There is still a long way to go to achieve carbon neutrality in the building sector and the timetable for achieving it is getting tighter and tighter, knowing that by 2030, we will have to have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by greenhouse by at least 50%. After years of raising awareness about the need to renovate energy-intensive housing, the public authorities are accelerating the movement by now moving from encouragement to obligation to support individuals, willy-nilly, from awareness of environmental issues to carrying out energy saving works. However, if the intentions seem to be confirmed, the sources of concern remain important, starting with the financial investment that an energy renovation represents, especially for low-income households and a fortiori if we project ourselves on a global approach. In a context where purchasing power is at the heart of all concerns, it will be essential to offer real financing solutions to the French people so that the necessary energy transition for buildings is not a spark that ignites the powder. And to support them, players in the sector are on the front line: for 2/3 of French people, the major DIY and building brands give good advice to help their customers optimize their works budget. »

*Estimated base of the French population: 53.684.693 people aged 18 and over. (INSEE figures – 1 January 2023)

Methodology : survey carried out on a sample of 1.019 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over, constituted according to the quota method, with regard to the criteria of sex, age, socio-professional category, urban area category and region of residence. The interviews took place by self-administered online questionnaire from March 8 to 9, 2023.