Energy renovation: Hellio warns of the remainder payable by families in precarious situations

Between 600.000 and 900.000: this is the estimated number of substandard housing in France. According to this report, in 2020, renovations subsidized by Anah via the Habiter Mieux Sèrance program for low-income and very low-income households, with at least 35% energy savings, only increased by 7%, from 41.000 renovations in 2019 to 52.000 in 2020, and stagnate in 2021. After the mobilization of all possible aid, very modest owners of individual houses suffer an average remaining charge of 39% instead of 10% of the amount of the work. For low-income households, it's 56%.

In addition, these French people, who live on less than 800 euros per month, have lost 0,5% of purchasing power, or 39 euros per year. This is manifested in particular by the difficulty of paying electricity bills.

Committed to the fight against energy poverty and a historic member of the STOP Exclusion Énergétique collective, Hellio, a key player in energy management, campaigns and acts to eradicate energy poverty by 2030. In this sense, the group brings its support for the exemplary approach led by Réseau Éco Habitat. Launched in 2019, the “1DigneToit!” brings together Réseau Éco Habitat, a structure based on an associative and cooperative logic in the North of France, Secours Catholique and Hellio. Its goal ? Help households in fuel poverty find decent housing through energy renovation and adaptability work by supporting them throughout the process. Since its creation, this subsidized program has helped around fifty families. Thanks to an endowment of €45.000 allocated by Hellio, 13 of them were able to benefit from assistance in financing their remaining dependents. The Eco Habitat Network's objective for 2022 is to carry out 40 projects, with a targeted increase of 10 additional projects per year.

Precarious households less inclined to carry out energy renovation work

To get out of fuel poverty the 3,5 million households that are having difficulty paying their energy bills, all those involved in the energy renovation of buildings must get involved.

Even if financial support from the State has undeniably increased over the past five years, in particular with the increasing importance of the role of Anah and the distribution of MaPrimeRénov' aid, this has not however, the poorest households were not allowed to benefit from comprehensive energy renovation work. The “residual charge”, which amounts to an average of 10% of the cost of the work according to the State, and 39% according to the Abbé Pierre foundation in its report on poor housing in 2022, makes the possibility of get out of fuel poverty for families who sometimes live on less than €10 a day. The Habiter Mieux Sérénité aid dedicated to overall renovation for these households is difficult to read and less easy to access. Transformed into MaPrimeRénov 'Sérénité on January 1, 2022, its distribution methods are certainly still to be clarified with regard to its evolution next July.

Not to mention that since 2021, precarious households have had to deal with several successive reductions in aid for energy renovation.

But for Hellio, the fight against energy poverty is not just a question of funding. The first difficulty consists in identifying and locating people in a situation of energy exclusion, who are sometimes “invisible” to social services, because this form of precariousness cannot be seen from the outside. In addition, 2/3 of substandard housing belong to owner-occupiers.

Once identified, contacting these people is more likely to lead to trusted third parties.

However, financial and operational solutions exist. By combining the revival of the construction of energy-efficient housing with immediate social aid upgraded to reduce energy bills, and systemic solutions such as the comprehensive and efficient renovation of housing, it is possible to eradicate energy poverty by 2030. Proof of this is the action taken by Réseau Éco Habitat.

An endowment from Hellio of 45.000 euros to help finance the rest of the costs of 13 families

Both members of the STOP Exclusion Énergétique collective, Réseau Éco Habitat and Hellio have decided to join forces.

Via Hellio Care dedicated to supporting CSR actions, the key player in energy management, wanted to add a stone to the building by giving a boost to several families supported by Réseau Éco Habitat for financing of their remaining dependents. A subject that is very close to the heart of the company, aware that the massification of energy renovation can only be done with innovative and sustainable financing solutions.

Hellio has thus made an envelope of €45.000 available to Réseau Éco Habitat.

For Claire Gagnaire, general secretary of Hellio: "At Hellio, environmental responsibility is at the heart of our DNA: we have been committed to energy savings in France since 2008. Our mission is to intensify our actions in the field with construction companies and craftsmen to create employment, training courses adapted to new professions, and to support the greatest number of private and public companies, communities and of course individuals. We want to make our experience available to the STOP Exclusion Énergétique collective and its commitments. This is why we are deeply committed to the action carried out jointly with Réseau Éco Habitat to finance the remainder to be paid by households in precarious situations for their energy renovation work. »

The exemplary approach of Eco Habitat Network

Secours Catholique volunteers are the key to supporting Réseau Éco Habitat because they are often called upon by people who have difficulty paying their energy bills. These mostly dwell in thermal colanders. Faced with soaring energy prices, some barely heat themselves and live in accommodation where the thermometer only reads 14°.

The volunteers thus realized that the energy check was not enough and that the energy renovation work would be much more effective.

For Franck Billeau, founder and director of Réseau Éco Habitat: “Volunteers are the bridge with the families. They play a scouting role and are present from start to finish, when craftsmen pass through until delivery of the site. They reassure families who are afraid of being scammed. Without them, we don't exist! »

The first step consists in studying in detail the profile of the households – their composition, their incomes – in order to seek the maximum possible subsidies to limit the rest to be borne.

It is then the turn of housing to be scrutinized. An audit is then carried out by a design office to assess the energy renovation work to be carried out, but also accessibility.

Make way for the work which generally consists of insulating, changing the heating system and the joinery, for example to go from a G to D label. The work generally lasts between 6 and 8 weeks, with, if possible, an organization in the middle occupied because the rehousing of people is not always possible.

Réseau Éco Habitat surrounds itself with as many general contractors as possible in order to limit the number of contacts for families and thus simplify the process. The association counts on the support of several loyal companies: “Our values ​​are based on our ability to create links of cooperation and mutual aid between all the actors who are members of the network. There is a common desire to reduce margins to find the right price throughout the ecosystem,” says Franck Billeau.

Eco Habitat Network takes care of all the steps to request all the aid that it is possible to mobilize: Anah, regional, departmental aid, etc. The association has even set up a fund to be able to advance aid.

“With all the aid, we manage to reach 90% support. We always ask families for a small contribution to get them involved in the project,” says Franck Billeau.

Testimonials

Painter, Erlina raises her 3 children alone. After her separation, not having access to public housing due to her status as owner, she bought a small house, with a fireplace as the only means of heating. But at the time of sweeping, it's a cold shower: the chimney has never been maintained, it can not be used as it is. For 2 years, the family lived in the cold, they only heated themselves with an electric convector lent by friends, and saw their electricity bills soar to reach €600 for 2 months during the period. winter. The social worker who accompanies her then puts her in touch with Réseau Eco Habitat in 2019.

The steps were long to start the work, the time to compile the file, produce the quotes, redo them while abandoning certain works because the rest to be borne was too important.

The work is being carried out between March and June 2021: high insulation, insulation of the interior peripheral walls, installation of electric radiators and a wood stove, reinforcement of the kitchen floor, removal of the lead piping (water supply) , replacement of roof windows, installation of PVC joinery, electricity and VMC.

The total amount of the work amounts to €41, for a remaining charge of more than €636 financed by the Hellio endowment and a loan from CAF.

“Before, it was 14° in our house because we didn't heat much. In winter, my children slept in the attic with coats it was so cold, and in summer, it was stiflingly hot. Now the house is very well insulated, we mainly use the wood stove for heating, we turn on the radiators only when it is very cold. My children now live in decent conditions and I also work in a better environment. I can also receive people at home again,” says Erlina.

“It's a very nice project for Erlina! The work has enabled it to enhance its heritage and restore its dignity. She was very involved in the process, very conciliatory, and she maintains this house well. It's nice to see that the works are appreciated and that they allow a restart in life,” rejoices Catherine, a volunteer at Secours Catholique.

Alexandre is a cereal farmer. Before benefiting from the support of Réseau Éco Habitat, he lived in uninsulated accommodation and paid €1 for electricity per year, a fortune! Member of the CCAS (municipal social action center) of Compiègne, mandated by Secours Catholique and president of the Eco Habitat Network, Pierre Chevillotte accompanied Alexandre in the process. The grant applications were a real obstacle course, between identifying aid from Anah, the region, the department and the community of communes!

After a year to complete the file, the work for an amount of €52 can finally be carried out in February 000: insulation of the interior walls and roof spaces, change of joinery and heating system, adaptation of the bathroom .

"Today, my home is comfortable, I heat to 19° without any problem thanks to better insulation and a new gas boiler", observes Alexandre.

“Before I retired, I had no idea what fuel poverty was. I realized that people in fuel poverty were “indivisible”. When we passed in front of Alexander's house, we could not guess the conditions in which he lived. These people never complain, their identification is linked to a combination of circumstances. My duty is for the municipalities to be able to identify these people in precarious situations,” confides Pierre Chevillotte.