Energy diagnosis of housing: “flexibility” measures expected in mid-February

“Mid-February, I will announce a simplification of the DPE which will make it possible to maintain the ambition of the initial schedule while making the system more reliable for small areas and implementing flexibility measures which will allow owners and tenants to approach the date of January 1, 2025 with more confidence", declared the minister, without further details.

The DPE is the key indicator that measures the energy consumption of a home.

A new DPE, which came into force in July 2021, takes into account the impact on greenhouse gas emissions from housing. More precise, it is no longer based on occupants' energy consumption bills but on the physical characteristics of the building.

Since 1?? January 2023, the most energy-intensive housing (classified G+), which displays consumption greater than 450 kilowatt hours per year per square meter, is prohibited for rental.

From 2025, the rental of all G-rated housing (i.e. 7% of the stock currently) will be prohibited by the Climate law to achieve France's climate objectives.

The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire had already announced last week a simplification and modification of the calculation of the DPE, which according to him presents "biases", and disadvantages small areas.

Taking up some of the announcements made the day before by Gabriel Attal, Mr. Béchu also indicated that he wanted to “relaunch the production” of housing.

To "restore real estate purchasing power to the French", the minister wants to "appraise new financial tools such as +in fine+ loans", which dissociate payment of interest and repayment of capital, or "the mortgage model (seizure of a by the bank in the event of non-repayment of the credit by its owner, editor's note).

“We must think about innovative fiscal and financial tools to encourage elected officials and operators to produce more housing,” he declared.

On the subject of the housing crisis, Christophe Béchu finally assured that "in France and throughout Europe, the social housing sector is the one that has resisted the most thanks to public support."