Renovated, re-let, empty... Where have the 5,8 million "energy sieve" homes gone?

In France, more than one in ten households lives in energy-intensive housing that is considered an "energy sieve". To reduce the carbon footprint of the residential sector, the State is encouraging owners to renovate with aid and gradually banning the rental of the most energy-intensive housing.

Since 2018, the government has been recording the energy performance diagnostics (DPE) carried out and which give a rating of A, for the most efficient housing, to G, for the most energy-intensive.

Housing classified F and G in the DPE is considered to be energy sieves.

How many energy sieves?

As of January 1, 2024, the government's Data and Statistical Studies Service (SDES) identified 5,8 million housing units classified as F or G, or 15,6% of all apartments and houses.

Among primary residences, 13,9%, or 4,2 million, of dwellings are energy sieves, including 1,75 million properties classified as G and 2,49 million as F.

Among secondary residences, properties classified F or G represent 26,6% of dwellings, or 975.276. Finally, there are 600.975 sieves among the vacant dwellings.

E-rated housing is not considered to be energy sieves, but will be prohibited from renting from 2034. It represents more than 8 million homes, including one million second homes.

Inhabited by whom?

The majority of primary residences classified F or G are inhabited by owner-occupiers: 61%, or 2,59 million homes.

While within the private rental market, Ademe counts 567.000 G housing units and 737.000 F housing units. In total, 15,9% of properties rented by tenants to private landlords are sieves.

Still among the energy sieves offered for rental, 29,3% are owned by owners whose income is among the richest 10% in France, that is to say higher than 3.490 euros per month and per person. This represents 290.000 homes.

The social housing stock displays better energy performance, with only 7,4%, or 350.531 homes, being energy sieves.

As for E housing, 1,8 million are inhabited by tenants from the private sector and therefore threatened by the rental ban.

Where are they ?

Ile-de-France is the region with the most energy sieves: more than a million homes, or 20% of main residences.

Burgundy-Franche-Comté occupies second place in the ranking of regions where the proportion of F and G housing is the highest (18,2%), ahead of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (15,8%) and its 507.153 energy sieves.

The Paris metropolitan area has 1,1 million energy sieves, or 20% of Parisian residences.

The typical profile of an energy sieve is a single-family house of 80 m³, built before 1948, heated by electricity and located in an urban area of more than 100.000 inhabitants.

Emissions and renovation

In 2023, the residential tertiary sector represented 58 million tonnes of CO2 emitted, or 16% of France's total greenhouse gas emissions.

Between January 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024, 13% (111.000) of F housing units were renovated and removed from this energy class and 12% (80.000) of G housing units were renovated.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.