What Condo Owners Expect When It Comes to Energy-Efficiency Renovations

Co-owners' expectations regarding energy-efficient renovations: stable financial assistance, lower energy prices, and a ban on renting out energy-inefficient buildings.
 

With the legislative elections approaching, energy-efficient home renovations are a hot topic, particularly for the 45% of French people living in multi-unit housing. Although the majority of them support renovating their buildings, complex procedures and unreliable financial assistance are holding them back from taking action. A recent survey conducted by the OpinionWay institute for PrimesEnergie.fr among a representative sample of apartment owners highlights their expectations in this area.
 

Co-owners want to be able to undertake renovations gradually and receive financial assistance for energy-saving projects they undertake individually. In fact, 79% of French co-owners prefer gradual renovations over comprehensive ones, and 75% want financial assistance for individual projects. However, delays in energy renovation grants are a major obstacle. Consequently, 78% of co-owners are calling for a law that guarantees the stability of these grants over several years, and 74% want these grants to be contingent on the actual performance of the work carried out.
 

In light of rising energy prices, three-quarters of condominium owners are calling for a drastic reduction in those prices, a demand that has been taken up by several political parties as part of the election campaign. In addition, the phased ban on renting energy-inefficient buildings starting in 2025 is a cause for concern for more than half of condominium owners (54%), who would like to see it postponed.
 

However, co-owners are not opposed to energy-efficient renovations. In fact, 70% of them say they support assessing the energy performance of individual homes, and 52% would agree to making energy-efficient renovations mandatory. Furthermore, 44% would be willing to pay more for the work if they had a guarantee that it would be done properly, and 49% believe that financial assistance should be reserved for low-income households. Finally, 60% of respondents want co-owners who can afford it but are holding back on energy-efficiency renovations to be penalized.
 

Nicolas Moulin, founder of PrimesEnergie.fr and a specialist in residential energy-efficiency renovations, emphasizes the urgent need to implement a comprehensive and coherent policy on energy-efficiency renovations. In his view, it is necessary to set a course and stick to it over the long term, simplify the process for homeowners, and combat fraud.
 

Co-owners are calling for concrete and stable measures to encourage them to undertake energy-efficiency renovations, as well as lower energy prices and a postponement of the ban on renting out energy-inefficient buildings. The next legislature will therefore have its work cut out for it to meet these expectations and implement an effective and sustainable energy-efficiency renovation policy.