In 2025, the energy check will no longer be sent automatically to eligible households

The energy check concerns 5.5 million households

Questioned by AFP, Manuel Domergue, director of studies at the Abbé Pierre Foundation, regretted the change in the rules for awarding the “energy check” for the 5.5 million households who benefit from it, predicting “a rate of recourse of 50%, or even more, at a time when energy poverty is increasing.

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Indeed, the energy check will no longer be paid automatically according to the finance bill presented by the government of Michel Barnier. Until now, the check is sent automatically to eligible households.

The check was based on council tax, which has been abolished. To identify eligible households, the French administration will cross-check two pieces of information: the household’s reference tax income and the home’s electrical delivery point.

“There is no measure commensurate with the housing crisis,” commented Emmanuelle Cosse, president of the Social Housing Union (USH), which represents social landlords.

“On the energy renovation of social housing, the aid goes from 1.2 billion over 3 years to 350 million in 2 years, it is a finance bill which cannot remain in the State”, a- she added.

The USH also regrets the maintenance of the “solidarity rent reduction” (RLS), which takes 1.3 billion euros per year from the cash flow of HLM organizations.

A reduction in the subsidy paid by the State to finance MaPrimerénov’

The subsidy paid by the State to finance MaPrimerénov’, the main public aid for the energy renovation of housing, will amount to 2.3 billion euros in 2025, compared to 4 billion announced for 2024, according to the finance bill presented Thursday.

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This is a return to the budget granted in 2023, in a context where the number of renovated housing units had decreased by 7% that year, according to the National Housing Agency (Anah).

Commitment authorizations dedicated to emergency accommodation remain stable, at 2.9 billion euros, while the ministry announces the preservation of 203,000 emergency accommodation places, a historically high level.

No trace, however, of the 120 million euros promised in January by the former Minister for Housing Patrice Vergriete to strengthen the emergency accommodation system.

In research, the credits allocated to city policy programs fall from 639 million in 2024 to 549 in 2025, a drop of 14%.

In tax matters, the zero-rate loan (PTZ) will be extended “across the country for first-time buyers” in order to facilitate access to property, as Prime Minister Michel Barnier announced during his speech. general policy. The modalities have not been specified, in particular the eligibility or not of new houses, until now excluded.

According to information provided to the press, this budget “prepared within a constrained framework” is however “intended to be improved during the parliamentary discussion to take into account the Prime Minister’s announcements during his general policy speech”.

Questioned by AFP, Manuel Domergue, director of studies at the Abbé Pierre Foundation, deplored the stability of the budget dedicated to accommodation in an inflationary context, fearing a “deterioration of services and support services”.

He also regretted the change in the rules for awarding the “energy check” for the 5.5 million households who benefit from it, predicting “a non-recourse rate of 50%, or even more, at a time when energy poverty increase”.

“There is no measure commensurate with the housing crisis,” commented Emmanuelle Cosse, president of the Social Housing Union (USH), which represents social landlords.

“On the energy renovation of social housing, the aid goes from 1.2 billion over 3 years to 350 million in 2 years, it is a finance bill which cannot remain in the State”, a- she added.

The USH also regrets the maintenance of the “solidarity rent reduction” (RLS), which takes 1.3 billion euros per year from the cash flow of HLM organizations.

hdu/mat/nth

© Agence France-Presse

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