Energy Check 2025: the end of vital aid for millions of French people?

Is the energy check, this precious boost for low-income households, experiencing its final hours? With recent announcements and a reform that raises eyebrows, the government seems ready to reduce the scope of this essential aid. This choice, disguised as a budgetary measure, risks widening inequalities even further. Let's decipher together this shift that could change everything.

A reform that jeopardizes essential aid

Created in 2018 to support low-income households facing increasing energy bills, the energy check benefits nearly 5.7 million households each year. Amount of aid: between €48 and €277, depending on income. Not enough to revolutionize your life, but enough to avoid financial asphyxiation. However, the 2025 budget provides for a cut of 180 million euros in this system, which is already under pressure.

Amélie de Montchalin, Minister of Public Accounts, justifies this decision by citing an expected drop in electricity prices in February 2025. A shaky justification for associations like UFC-Que Choisir, which denounce a short-term vision: “Prices are falling a little, but the impact of past crises remains immense.” And meanwhile, low-income households continue to pay.

Chaotic management that amplifies inequalities

The year 2024 has already been marked by a scandal: the abolition of the automatic sending of energy checks. Result ? More than a million eligible households had to claim their dues via an online platform, and almost half never received them. When we know that these households are often the least connected, we quickly understand the scale of the disaster.

For 2025, the government is trying to avoid a repeat of this fiasco by partially restoring the automaticity of the system. From now on, tax data will be cross-referenced with electricity delivery points. Good idea? Maybe. But associations remain skeptical about the effectiveness of this method in reaching households who really need it.

What impacts for the poorest households?

The energy check, although imperfect, is a crucial shield against energy poverty. Since its creation, its amount has not been increased despite the explosion in costs. Reducing your budget means further weakening families who are already struggling to make ends meet.

Associations are calling for more ambitious reforms. The Abbé Pierre Foundation, among others, is campaigning for massive thermal renovation of housing, in order to attack the problem at the root. But these projects require time and resources. In the meantime, eliminating or limiting the energy check amounts to leaving low-income households facing a wall.

A decision to watch closely

The 2025 energy check crystallizes tensions around energy poverty in France. Between poorly thought out reforms, budget cuts and unclear communication, millions of households risk losing vital assistance. And while the government adjusts its accounts, the most vulnerable French people wait in uncertainty.

It is urgent to monitor the progress of this reform and make the voices of low-income households heard. Because, if we do nothing, it is always the most fragile who suffer. Share this article to alert and mobilize, because this fight is far from over.