Energy renovation work planned by 76% of households to counter rising energy prices

Two successive surveys carried out online by Hellio, a player in energy management, among households that own and rent individual houses and collective housing, the first between February 1 and March 11, 2022 and the second between June 1 and on August 31, 2022, shed light on the financial impact of the rise in energy prices, the solutions envisaged and the need to deploy solutions for financing the remaining charge.

Methodology

Two surveys carried out online with owner households (94%) and tenants (6%) of individual houses (91%) and collective housing (9%) spread throughout France:

• 1st survey carried out between February 1 and March 11, 2022 to which 371 people responded.
• 2nd survey carried out between June 1 and August 31, 2022 to which 769 people responded.

More than €100 annual increase for 60% of households despite the tariff shield

Nearly 9 out of 10 respondents notice an increase in energy prices on their heating bills.

Indeed, in 2021, before the implementation of the tariff shield, the price of gas increased by 57% between January and October 2021 (for regulated sales tariffs) and that of fuel oil jumped by 53% in one year.

As for the cost of electricity, it increased by 4% on February 1, 2022.

This price increase is clearly reflected in invoices: more than half of respondents (60%) say they see an increase of at least €100 per year. The proportion of those who pay more than €200 jumped 9% between the beginning and the middle of the year: it now represents 34% of respondents (vs. 25% at the start of the year).

In 2022, without the gas price freeze and the 4% cap increase for electricity, the regulated sales tariffs would have had to increase by 60% and 40% respectively.

The government has already announced the extension and new provisions of the tariff shield on energy prices for 2023. The increase in gas and electricity tariffs will be limited to 15%, a higher limit than that of 2022 for electricity. This measure involves:

• an average increase in bills of around €25 per month for households using gas for heating. The increase would be around €200 per month without a tariff shield;
• an average increase of around €20 per month for households heating with electricity, instead of €180 without a tariff shield.

Beyond energy renovation work, Hellio's core business, the actor advocates energy sobriety as an additional lever to be activated.

The specialist in energy savings recommends for example, as far as possible, to lower the heating by one degree to reduce the bill by 5 to 10%.

More efficient energy renovation work stations envisaged

In this context, to the question "Do you plan to carry out energy renovation work?" », 64% of respondents answered yes at the beginning of the year and 76% in the middle of the year! This 12% increase suggests an awareness certainly linked to the fear of the explosion of energy prices once the tariff shields are stopped, with the risk of cuts in sight this winter.

While in recent years, it was more a question of "small" gestures, such as changing windows or installing a gas boiler with very high energy performance, households now seem to be moving more towards more efficient work in terms of energy saving. Thus, the insulation of the envelope (walls and attic) is the most popular type of work, followed by the heat pump and photovoltaic panels. Proof that the hunt for energy losses, renewable energies and self-consumption are solutions considered by French households in the face of rising energy prices.

Note the increase in certain heating methods between the beginning and the middle of the year: the heat pump jumped by 11% (32%), the biomass boiler by 5% (19%). Results probably linked to the Heating boost bonus of €1.000 introduced on April 15, 2022 in favor of renewable energies. The gas boiler is even more neglected (- 4%), a consequence of the Ukrainian conflict, with the restriction of supplies for this winter.

The need to finance the rest to be borne

It is clear that the many existing bonuses (MaPrimeRénov', Energy Savings Certificates, local aid, etc.) are not always enough to convince all French people to renovate. The remainder to be paid sometimes remains too high, without a solution to obtain the sufficient sum.

In view of the fairly substantial works mainly envisaged by the respondents (wall insulation, photovoltaic panels, heat pump), the use of financing solutions (loan, easy payment) is essential for 52% of households at the start of the year and for 62% in the middle of the year.

The eco-PTZ, whose ceilings were raised in 2022 to €50.000 for high-performance renovation work (€30.000 for other types of work), seems to represent the best financing solution in the eyes of a large number of respondents. (more than 1 in 2 respondents). This type of loan benefits from a communication from the Government and an administrative simplification of the combination now possible with MaPrimeRénov' since July 1, 2022.

The payment facilities (39%), which make it possible to pay the cost of the work in several monthly installments, are then acclaimed.

For Pierre Maillard, CEO of the Hellio group: “Supporting our customers throughout their project for a triptych of energy savings (and therefore reduction of expenses), heritage enhancement and improvement of comfort, this is our DNA. If we wish to massiveize the energy renovation in the interest of all, it is imperative that the financial institutions can be more agile and reactive. Each of the links in this value chain will be a winner: the household, the construction company, the financial establishment, the State and the environment. »