Towards Energy Innovation under Pressure
Energy renovation in France promises to take place under new auspices in 2024. The announcement of a significant increase in support from MaPrimeRénov sparked strong interest, underlining the government’s ambition to accelerate the energy transition of housing. The increase in coverage rates for the most ambitious works to 80% for low-income households and even 90% for thermal sieve renovation shows a strong desire to make energy renovation accessible to as many people as possible. In addition, an increase of 1,000 euros in aid for the acquisition of heat pumps, bringing the aid to 5,000 euros for the most common households, showed new generosity..
However, this dynamic collided with budgetary reality. The budget allocated to MaPrimeRénov will eventually be reduced from 4 to 3 billion euros in 2024, as announced by the Minister of Economy and Finance. This reduction, which occurs in the context of overall budgetary austerity, highlights the challenges of financing an ambitious energy innovation policy given current economic constraints.
Simple steps to prove for MaPrimeRénov, but effectiveness
To strengthen the attractiveness of the system, the government has focused on simplification. Middle and affluent families will no longer be forced to use the Renov’ companion for the most ambitious task, which is intended to stimulate demand. This simplification, along with an increase in aid, could theoretically increase the number of grant requests in 2024. The Ministry of Ecological Transition is optimistic, promising that all French people wishing to undertake energy renovation will receive the necessary support.
However, the year 2023 has shown that the allocation of MaPrimeRénov funds does not guarantee their full use. With 300 million euros of unused credit in 2023, the question of the adequacy between the supply of aid and the real capacity of the market to absorb this demand emerges insistently.. Lack of qualified professionals to undertake the work is a significant constraint, compounded by already saturated order books.
Lazy demand, cautious optimism
The government’s optimism is also based on expectations of a reduction in demand, thanks in part to a review of energy performance diagnostics. This review should reduce the number of homes classified as thermal sieves, reducing the immediate pressure on renovation needs.. The objective of this strategy is to overcome the fear of increased demand in the face of low budgets, hoping that the efficiency of the measures taken will compensate for the decrease in financial resources.
Between the government’s high ambitions and the necessary budgetary adjustments, MaPrimeRénov 2024 presents itself as a system full of promises, but its real impact remains to be assessed. Recent adjustments highlight the complexity of reconciling environmental objectives and economic constraints, in a context where the energy transition is more than a national priority.
