Why the new energy check will anger a lot of French people

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– The method of awarding the energy check provokes the anger of consumer associations.

It is an aid primarily intended for low-income households to pay their electricity or gas bill: the energy check. Understood between 48 and 277 eurosit has benefited more than 5.5 million French people in 2024. But from next year, the government has already indicated that it no longer wants its automatic payment. The announcement was made as part of the 2025 finance bill, in particular to compensate for the elimination of the housing tax.

But the Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, assured that former beneficiaries will not have to take any additional steps. “as soon as it is established that they still satisfy the income condition”. This new feature will concern new households who will therefore have to “report” and therefore go through a counter as already mentioned Capital a few days ago. But barely put in place, this new system is controversial and consumer associations are stepping up to the plate, like CLCV, indicates TF1.

“Complexing” access to the energy check

Consumption, housing and living environment criticizes the government for “voluntarily complicate access to the energy check to make savings to the detriment of the most deprived”. In a joint press release published with other organizations such as Secours Catholique, the National Housing Confederation or the Abbé Pierre Foundation, all specify that the energy check “only concerns very modest households” and represents a “budgetary imperative”. However, asking a potential beneficiary will have “the effect of excluding, for non-recourse, a large number of them from the system”they castigate.

Same story from the UFC-Que Choisir which emphasizes thatno awareness campaign has not been carried out to allow consumers to see if they are eligible or not: “People who have to go to this platform do not necessarily know that they are beneficiaries of the energy check”deplores the head of studies and specialist in energy issues within UFC-Que-Choisir, Antoine Autier, head of studies and specialist in energy issues within UFC-Que-Choisir, on the microphone from TF1.

“Stopping on the backs of the poor”

For the Climate Action Network, the government “wants to stop on the backs of the poor”. To respond to the discontent, the government says it is studying other solutions so that payment is automatic for more French people. The envelope distributed in 2024, namely 900 million euroswill remain substantially the same.