Heat pump scams: the government promises to be "intractable"

"It is unacceptable for the French who have resorted to these margoulins and for the finances of the State", reacted the minister after the dissemination of a survey on energy renovation, without however advancing new measures to repress the frauds.

"We will be absolutely intractable in the face of these bad apples who discredit the entire construction trades profession", she insisted, "these are scams (...) and anyone who presents himself as a representative of the state and you are a liar".

Encouraged by the government via various bonuses, energy renovation and insulation of housing aims to reduce household heating bills and more generally, to save energy.

France 2's "Complément d'Enquête" magazine, however, pointed out the failures of this system: largely insufficient controls as well as the financing of a tiny number of complete housing upgrades, 13.400 while 680.000 bonuses were paid for partial renovations (windows, heating installations, roof insulation, etc.).

Several reports had also alerted to the shortcomings of MaPrimeRénov ', a system set up in 2020 and endowed with 2,5 billion euros for 2023. The Defender of Rights, an independent authority headed by Claire Hédon, had thus noted the unpaid premiums by the administration, major technical malfunctions of the site, interminable delays...

In practice, 99% of households only seek MaPrimeRénov' aid for "limited work" such as modernization of heating, windows or roofing, to the detriment of an effective overall renovation, also lamented in an opinion. voted in November by the Economic and Social Council (CESE).