In Nice, faced with the explosion of its gas bill, a condominium cuts the heating

Between the Valrose university campus and the residential hill of Cimiez, Parc Lubonis, a former housing estate for teachers built in the 50s, is a neat complex of around a hundred apartments and five individual villas.

In these accommodations, some with terraces and sea views, life flowed peacefully... until the energy crisis.

Last year, from October to May, with the Russian energy supplier Gazprom, the gas bill for the condominium rose to 89.100 euros; but the estimates, consulted by AFP, exploded for this year, between 684.000 euros for SEFE Energy (Editor's note: former German subsidiary of Gazprom) and one million euros for TotalEnergies, just to operate the central heating by the ground over these eight months of 2022-2023.

"Last year I paid 150 euros per month for heating, this year I would have had to pay more than 1.000 euros per month, it's simply impossible", confided Philippe Lorenzi, 70, engineer at the retirement, who occupies a T6 with his wife: "The only solution was to turn off the heating".

And it is this proposal that the 95 or so co-owners voted on Tuesday evening, at a general meeting. More precisely, they decided not to turn on the heating on October 15, as initially planned, until January and a next general meeting.

“We will then have new quotes and information on the tariff shield to which we are entitled,” added Mr. Lorenzi.

Greeted by applause, this decision is "a relief", indicated at the end of the meeting Sébastien, wishing to remain anonymous: "Accepting such high estimates would have endangered the co-ownership, too many people simply did not have the ways to pay".

"Temporarily relieved", Arthur, in his thirties, remains "worried", because his partner is expecting their first baby in December: "Even if we have bought some extra electric heaters, I hope it won't be too cold" .

"Energy strainer"

If the gas bill soars, it is also, explains Camille Daubeze, head of Forimmo, the condominium trustee, because the underfloor heating system is old and the residence is "an energy sieve".

"Between the central boiler and the apartments, the heat loss reaches 40%", she explains: "We could consider installing a heat pump or solar panels, but the cost is high, despite the aid, and it will take time."

While the accommodations are equipped with individual water heaters for the bathrooms, some also have reversible air conditioning. The others will have to turn to "system D", explains Florence, in her forties, who has bought two oil-filled heaters but is worried about her two teenage daughters: "Under what conditions will they do their homework?"

Hervé Maestri-Pieri lives with his 90 and 85-year-old parents in his 80 m2 apartment: "If we turned on the heating, my gas bill would have gone from 80 to 500 or 600 euros. What can I do?" he wonders, believing that "we may be heading towards a definitive shutdown of the central boiler and individual solutions".

In a letter to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, Nice LR deputy Eric Ciotti denounced the exclusion of certain condominiums from the tariff shield. The town hall of Nice told AFP that the services of the metropolis in charge of the energy renovation counter "contacted the condominium in September".

"A few months without heating, we will survive well", smiled a retired co-owner, wishing to remain anonymous: "There are much more serious things, people on the street and a threat of nuclear war".