Individual or collective heating: the Federation of DPOs welcomes the provisions concerning the tariff shield but warns of persistent inequalities

Between satisfaction and concern, Marcel Rogemont, President of the Federation, opened the press conference by mentioning the recent publication in the Official Journal of three decrees, called for by the Federation, which formalize the strengthening of gas tariff shields and create the tariff shield for electricity (collective heating and common charges): “This is good news. However, today there is no equality of treatment between individual heating and collective heating. We deplore the fact that many low-income households, housed in HLMs and heated collectively, have to bear the doubling or even tripling of the price of the megawatt-hour compared to 2020. This situation raises the question in particular, for DPOs, of purchasing strategy and energy purchasing groups. »

Three testimonials from elected officials

Three personalities testified to the situation in their organization, all co-signatories, alongside Marcel Rogemont, of the forum published on December 14, 2022 on lemonde.fr and entitled Energy crisis: “From 2023, nearly two million of the poorest will pay more for their energy than other French people”.

For Stéphane Troussel, President of the Departmental Council of Seine-Saint-Denis, Administrator of Seine-Saint-Denis Habitat: “The mobilization of the FOPH, the USH and our organizations has enabled the publication of these decrees, which improve the situation. However, tenants will suffer both the 15% increase in gas and electricity, and that of electricity charges for common areas. The OPH will limit the increase to 15% for collective electric heating and will pay the difference. This implies less resources for the Office and, once again, a deterioration in the financing of social housing. This situation illustrates to what extent the opening of energy markets to competition poses serious long-term problems, for consumers but also, ultimately, for public authorities, which must bear the cost of tariff shields. »

For Isabelle Rivière, Vice-President of the Vendée Departmental Council, President of Vendée Habitat: “With us, the collective gas heating bill, which for tenants had gone from €40 in January 2022 to €70 in July 2022 then to €133 in September 2022, could go back to €93 with the gas decree. Which is better but still more than twice what they were paying a year ago. We have already recorded 1.100 requests from tenants, and a 13% increase in unpaid bills compared to December 2021.

For Harold Huwart, Mayor of Nogent-le-Rotrou, President of Nogent Perche Habitat: "We are bombarded with requests from tenants who have lived in their homes for 25 years and want to move to smaller apartments, or even go private because they can no longer pay their charges and prefer to be able to cut the heating. The decrees take into account situations of high prices, however the tariff shield does not allow HLM tenants concerned by collective heating to be protected as are the beneficiaries of an individual contract. We are already seeing an increase in short-term (11%) and more than three-month (6%)* unpaid bills. »