This Tuesday, December 10, 2024, the Pont du Gard hosted the Regional Day of Actors in the Fight Against Energy Poverty, an event organized by the Gard Departmental Council, the Occitanie Regional Prefecture and the Departmental Housing and Development Agency. Housing (ADHL). The objective of this day is to strengthen cooperation between public, associative and private actors to fight against a scourge which affects a growing number of French people and which “sometimes kills”.
The latest statistics on energy poverty are alarming: 15% of Gard households were in a situation of energy poverty last year, and according to the National Energy Mediator, 26% of Gard residents suffered from the cold during the winter of 2022- 2023. Among them, 42% cite financial reasons in a department where the poverty rate is among the highest in France at 20%. 86,000 Gard residents benefited from the energy check last year. 60% of Gard residents are eligible for social housing and 1 in 10 Gard residents live in unworthy private social housing.
As a result, many households are forced to restrict their heating, with 79% of French people saying they have limited their energy consumption to avoid high bills.
Energy poverty kills
Christian Bastide, president of the ADHL and delegate for Housing, Housing and Urban Renovation opened the day with an introductory word recalling the issues of the day: “This subject of energy poverty affects Gard and deprives people of their fundamental rights. By giving rise to a feeling of anger and abandonment, this can generate a loss of confidence in the political system, pushing people beyond the republican arc..” The latter recalled that in “having consequences on physical and psychological health, energy poverty sometimes kills“. Current president of the ADHL, Christian Bastide recalled that this social housing center in the Gard had “only two years but makes it possible to fight against fuel poverty by offering aid and support within the framework of large-scale programs which should inspire other communities“. Finally Christian Bastide asked the State to “relaunch production adapted to the demand for social housing, regulation of European energy prices and investment in renewable energies“concluding with”the necessary commitment of all against energy poverty“.
Christian Bastide, president of the ADHL and Jérôme Bonet, prefect of Gard
An aging public and private social housing stock in the Gard
Senator Denis Bouad calls for a “Marshall plan” for social housing with one in two social housing units built before 1975 (the year when the first energy construction rules for housing were put in place): “All departments are affected by energy poverty, which affects a wide variety of people: retirees, landlords who have not carried out the necessary work and who have energy-intensive housing, social housing which has not been able to benefit from rehabilitation programs, without forgetting the impact of rising energy prices, particularly electricity, gas and fuel oil. Today, the energy bill is exploding, and many residents find themselves suffering from the cold in winter, with temperatures often limited to 18-19°C in the best case.
The social housing stock (HLM) is aging, particularly in the Gard, and public policies are not up to the challenges. The situation is even more critical in the private park, where the difficulties are amplified. How can we have an effective housing policy when we are already on the fourth, or even the fifth, Minister of Housing in a few years, or even the sixth? How can we build a sustainable policy with so much instability? A real “Marshall Plan” for social housing is now essential.“
More than a hundred participants from across the Occitanie region came to take part in this day of combating energy poverty.
A day of discussions on the fight against energy poverty
The day began with a video report on a retired person suffering from fuel poverty in private accommodation where she was a tenant. This person's moving testimony showed their vulnerability in the face of a landlord who did not care that their home was a thermal sieve. And explained how thanks to the help of the SLIME program she was able to get out of this situation and obtain decent housing.
Interventions from local personalities such as Denis Bouad, Christian Bastide and Marie Pique, Vice-President of the Occitanie Region, will highlight the initiatives put in place to respond to this crisis.
The afternoon will be dedicated to conferences and practical workshops. A round table will address the links between health and poor housing, while another workshop will look at the specificities of fuel poverty in rural areas, a subject particularly relevant for Gard.
A plenary conference on the psychosocial perspectives of energy poverty, led by researcher Nicolas Fieulaine (Université Lyon 2), will close the day.
Local stakeholders, including managers of the Departmental Council's Innovation Mission, will share their experiences on setting up support systems.
The event will also highlight the initiatives of the ADHL and local authorities to facilitate access to aid, optimize energy savings and propose concrete solutions for vulnerable households.
The day is part of the actions of the local solidarity contract, signed last July, and aims to support the priorities of the inclusive ecological transition. In response to the rise in energy prices and the difficulties encountered by many residents, the speakers are calling for increased support from the State and a real partnership between local authorities, associations and energy companies.
Also read:
“We are in a social housing funnel in the Gard” warns Magali Monticelli
