Unsurprisingly, the figures for the first quarter of 2024 just published by the National Housing Agency (Anah) are very bad.
This is the expected consequence of the hiccup in the reform of MaPrimeRenov’ (MPR), this financial aid and support system for owners keen to improve the energy performance of their property: the number of homes renovated in first trimester does not reach not even 80,000, a drop of 43% compared to the first quarter of last year, according to Anah figures.
Worse, the market for large-scale renovations (more efficient, but also more expensive and more complex) is also in free fall, even though aid has been significantly increased since January 1. It painfully amounts to 5,584 major projects completed in three months. A figure very far from the ambitions of the government, which hopes for 200,000 over the entire financial year.
The government’s hesitation is now quantified
The executive has blown hot and cold in recent months. He decided at the end of last year to fundamentally modify MaPrimeRénov’: the 2024 version of the system was to favor large-scale renovations to the detriment of single actions, such as changing windows or insulating walls. A strategy which is verified in Anah statistics: the average amount of aid for a modest household carrying out major work has more than doubled and reached almost 40,000 euros.
But faced with the concerns of professionals and the first signs of market slowdown, a new turnaround at the beginning of March: the Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, reversed course, and announced that light work which was excluded from the system will be helped to leave. from May 15.
Some reasons for hope
A hesitation-waltz whose repercussions are now quantified. “There is an effect of immobility linked to government procrastination,” observes Audrey Zermati, strategic director of the Effy group and specialist in the sector.
“Confronted with all these announcements and counter-announcements, households have delayed their decision-making,” he continues.
Responsible for piloting the system, the National Housing Agency (Anah) nevertheless observes that MaPrimeRénov account creations are clearly increasing (+25%) and wants to believe in “a rise in power which will materialize in the coming weeks ”.
