2023-07-05 17:20:17
Despite all the good intentions displayed by the public authorities, the energy renovation of housing is like an obstacle course for many households. At the risk that a good part gives up doing work, often for lack of means. And when they do, the expected gain in heating savings is not always there.
This is the severe, but unsurprising, observation drawn up by the Senate commission of inquiry into the effectiveness of public policies in terms of energy renovation, in its report published on Wednesday 5 July. This work is largely cross-partisan: the commission is chaired by Dominique Estrosi Sassone (Les Républicains) and has the environmental senator Guillaume Gontard as rapporteur.
Last fall, the Court of Auditors was just as critical, as well as the defender of rights, Claire Hédon. In October, she mentioned 500 complaint files. Before the senators, at the beginning of April, she explained that she had received 900 more. Not to mention also the 10,000 fraud complaints that have been filed on the government platform SignalConso.
Very few overall renovations
“There is a risk of discouragement in the face of instability, complexity and a remaining charge that remains too high”, thus notes the report, regretting that for MaPrimeRénov’, set up in 2020, “The conditions for aid change every year and sometimes even faster”.
On paper, however, and this is the whole paradox, this device, which replaced the tax credit for energy transition (CITE), “is a real success with more than 650,000 requests in 2021 and 2022”note the senators. “But no more than 10% would be global renovations”, they add. That’s the problem. Because despite the subsidies granted, the bill for a total renovation remains high for the most modest households, which can “be greater than 30% and represent half a year or even a full year of income”.
Professionals unaccustomed to working in groups
But it’s not just a question of money. The commission of inquiry thus points the finger at a building sector which is not used to carrying out work together and to organizing itself into a group to cover several trades. Added to this are the administrative complexities of obtaining the RGE label (Recognized Guarantor of the Environment), which is necessary on these subsidized sites. As a result, most professionals give up. “Currently, only 60,000 construction companies are certified, i.e. 15% of the total”, regret the senators.
According to the report, 200,000 professionals, “from worker to architect »still need to be trained in the challenges of sustainable construction.
Simplification of procedures
Within the government, a reflection has already been initiated to find solutions to all these problems. A one-stop shop, France Rénov’, has been in place since the beginning of the year, with more than 550 advice spaces and 2,300 agents to advise households on the work to be done. The National Housing Agency (Anah), which leads the system, has also undertaken to reduce file processing times.
Several avenues are also on the table, such as a merger of MaPrimeRénov’, whose budget is 2.45 billion euros this year, and energy saving certificates (CEE), financed by energy suppliers. , and which also subsidize renovation work. These promoters highlight a concern for simplification and the need to consolidate the renovation work.
Reimburse the amount of the work on the sale of the accommodation
But nothing is yet decided, because behind looms a substantive debate with enormous stakes. Should we focus on decarbonization, with the acceleration of the withdrawal of oil and gas boilers, or give priority to the fight against energy poverty? For the moment, the first holds the rope, even if it is not unanimous. “It’s a bit strange to first want to change the heating without first insulating the dwelling”, notes Philippe Pelletier, president of Habitat et humanisme.
To encourage the passage to the act, the deputy David Amiel (Renaissance) pleads for a generalization of the “renovation advance loan”, by pushing the banks to commit. The loan taken out to do the work would only be repaid on the sale of the dwelling or during a succession. The system has already existed since 2022 but remains confidential, with less than a hundred loans.
After having obtained the green light from the government on this idea, David Amiel has good hopes of obtaining the approval of the banks. “The State cannot pay for everything and households cannot pay for everything”, he explains. He also pleads for the creation of long-term loans granted to condominiums.
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