The reopening of MaPrimeRénov' disrupted by a bug and under fire from critics

Faced with a significant influx of applications since the end of 2024, the State had decreed a summer break in the subsidy scheme for individuals for their renovation projects combining several types of work to improve the energy performance of their homes.

Reopened at 1 p.m., the platform was "down during the afternoon," Hugues Sartre, co-founder of the renovation company Homyos, told AFP. His team failed to submit any of the 12 applications they had ready.

The National Housing Agency (ANAH), which manages MaPrimeRénov', told AFP it had encountered a technical anomaly and had to put the platform under maintenance, before reopening it early in the evening. The platform "experienced a very strong spike in traffic, with nearly 150.000 visits in a few hours and the submission of the first applications. Faced with this influx of connections, the platform had to be placed under technical maintenance," the agency explained in the evening.

The conditions for granting subsidies have been restricted: only housing classified E, F or G in the performance diagnosis are eligible, the work ceilings are lowered to a maximum of 40.000 euros (compared to 70.000 euros previously) and households with very low incomes are given priority.

The maximum subsidy for a very low-income household is halved, from 63.000 euros to 32.000 euros.

Due to a lack of budget, only 13.000 applications can be accepted until the end of the year and will not be funded until 2026, with the 2025 envelope certainly being consumed by applications submitted before June.

These conditions are so restrictive that they risk turning households away. "Between the amount of subsidies and the announced timetable, people are doing without 'MaPrimeRénov' and are 'returning to single-action projects,' that is, only replacing a boiler or other isolated projects," according to Mr. Sartre.

"False opening"

To avoid overheating and an unmanageable waiting list, the State has set "targets by territory" and implemented "weekly monitoring accessible to renovation stakeholders."

"The memo on the methods for monitoring the objectives arrived today," Suzanne Brolly, vice-president of the Strasbourg Eurometropolis in charge of housing, told AFP, deploring a quota of 66 maximum applications for her urban area.

"It's a false opening," she said. "There's nothing left for this year," and the conditions for granting aid are "very limited," with a "ridiculous budget" and "only for the most vulnerable households."

On the other hand, in Loire-Atlantique, the president of the departmental council, Michel Ménard, does not have "the elements" on these objectives nor the additional "financial means" and the reopening therefore remains "very vague".

The number of applications is low at 13.000, and "some people think the counter will close at the end of the day" after all the applications finalized since June have been submitted, according to Sébastien Martin, president of Intercommunalités de France.

"Unraveling"

Also a LR MP for Saône-et-Loire, he tabled a bill to entrust the energy renovation policy for housing to inter-municipal authorities and departments willing to participate in a two-year experiment.

Since the beginning of the year, 71.828 applications for major renovations have been accepted, almost double compared to 2024, a period disrupted by rule changes.

These new criteria have been criticized by a number of elected officials and associations who maintain that the subsidies are no longer sufficient for low-income households and who fear a halt to the energy renovation momentum in France.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the Rénovons collective, made up of companies and associations in the sector, denounced the State's "abandonment" of its energy renovation policy, which has been "unraveled" over the years.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.