Inflation, rising energy costs and fuel poverty: rural residents on the front line

Although the study carried out in partnership with Ifop, the Association of Rural Mayors of France (AMRF) and Bouge ton Coq demonstrates rural satisfaction for their councilors, what are the fears aroused by the rise in the cost of energy ? Presentation of the main lessons:

• 54% of rural people have already given up heating their homes due to lack of money, compared to a national average of 42%;
• 91% of rural people are also worried about the evolution of energy prices (national average 74%);
• 84% of rural people are in favor of the return of the energy shield to gas (76% for all French people);
• 86% of residents of rural communities are satisfied with their mayor (71% for all French people);
• 53% of residents of rural communities believe that their mayor should act as a priority for the energy transition and control of energy consumption;
• 83% of rural people believe that schools should be subject to priority renovation (85% for all French people)

For Pierre Maillard, President of the Hellio group: “The rise in energy prices weighs considerably on the budgets of the French, and particularly those in rural areas. If they are generally satisfied with their mayor, and this is to be welcomed, they expect city councilors to be fully committed to the energy transition. This requires concrete actions, such as the renovation of public buildings and in particular schools. The renovation of school buildings represents a major challenge for our municipalities, and is considered a priority by 80% of French people! It is also a strong response to the decarbonization objectives that France wishes to achieve in the next ten years. It is within this framework that Hellio makes all its technical and financial engineering available to best support communities. »

A restrictive economic context as winter approaches, particularly in the territories

The arrival of winter and in particular the surge in electricity prices are worrying the French and more particularly the inhabitants of rural areas.

If the electricity price shield is still maintained, the gas price shield was lifted last July. 91% of rural people clearly express their concern about the evolution of energy prices (compared to 74% for all French people).

Indeed, in rural areas, the use of fuel oil for heating, associated with less insulated, larger, and therefore more energy-intensive housing, or even more regular use of the car, are factors that can lead to situations of energy poverty. Moreover, 54% of residents of rural areas have already given up heating their homes for budgetary reasons, compared to a national average of 42%.

To stop this phenomenon, the French hope to be able to benefit from financial support from the State or communities. If 86% of residents of rural communities are satisfied with their mayor (this is the case for 71% of the French population), 55% of rural residents still remain dissatisfied with the aid provided by their communities in the face of rising transport costs. 'energy.

In this sense, 84% of rural people are in favor of returning the energy shield to gas. This is also the case for 76% of the French population.

Energy transition: in rural areas, awareness of the challenges ahead

As the burden of energy expenditure is particularly high in rural areas, residents and municipalities are aware of the efforts to be made to reduce energy consumption. Over the last three years, 86% of people living in rural areas have reduced the temperature in their homes (compared to 76% for the national average). 42% of French people living in rural areas have also carried out energy renovation work (compared to 35% for the national average).

The French expect no less from their mayor. In fact, 53% of residents of rural communities believe that their mayor should act as a priority for the energy transition and control of energy consumption. If the wait is lower in towns with more than 100.000 inhabitants, this is still the case for 43% of French people living there.

Energy renovation of schools and public buildings, a priority in rural areas

In France, the building sector is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. The energy renovation of existing buildings therefore represents a major lever for decarbonization. The objective is to reduce the energy consumption of buildings by 40% by 2030, according to the Tertiary Decree.

The energy renovation of public buildings is also one of the measures particularly awaited by the French. This is the case for 80% of inhabitants of rural areas and 82% of the entire French population.

92% of residents of rural areas (88% for all French people) would also like municipalities to be able to install public lighting with low-consumption bulbs.

The installation of solar panels is also expected by 85% of French people in rural communities (84% for all French people).

School buildings, the priority:

Among the public buildings requiring priority renovation, the school comes in first position according to those surveyed. This is the case for 83% of residents of rural communities (85% for all French people).

This is followed by the energy renovation of village halls (for 45% of French people in rural areas compared to 34% of the national average), municipal premises (45% for residents of rural communities, just like the national average), and gymnasiums ( 44% of French people living in rural areas and 55% for the national average). The renovation of municipal swimming pools is also one of the priorities. This is the case for 43% of French people living in rural areas and 56% for the French population as a whole.

Announced by the Government last September, the school renovation plan should accelerate the renovation of school buildings throughout France. The objective is to have renovated 40.000 schools in 2034.

To help local authorities strengthen their environmental performance, the Government is relying on the fund to accelerate the ecological transition of territories, the “Green Fund”, endowed with 2 billion euros. 500 million euros should be entirely dedicated to renovating schools.

From 2024, work aimed at improving summer comfort in schools will also be eligible for the Green Fund. By the end of 2024, 2000 schools should have been renovated throughout France.

For Augustin Bouet, director of the Hellio design office, Akéa Énergies: “Hellio brings its expertise to the service of local authorities to meet the challenge of energy transition. Our role is to propose concrete solutions adapted to each municipality, with the aim of helping them reduce their energy consumption, while strengthening the economic dynamism of the territories."

Methodology :

The survey was conducted by Ifop with a sample of:

• 1.005 people, representative of the population living in mainland France aged 18 and over.
• 1.000 people, representative of the rural population living in mainland France aged 18 and over.

The representativeness of the sample was ensured by the quota method (sex, age, profession of the person interviewed) after stratification by region, by category of urban area/size of municipality. The interviews were carried out by self-administered online questionnaire from October 24 to 30, 2023.

[1] According to the National Observatory of Energy Poverty (ONPE)