In the race to reduce pollution and as part of the ecological transition, we hear more and more about energy renovation. This practice consists of carrying out work on a more or less old dwelling or building in order to improve its energy performance. But that’s not all, because the aims of this system are economic, social, ecological and financial. Let’s take a look to see it more clearly.
What is energy renovation?
Energy renovation simply consists of carrying out work on existing buildings, more or less old, in order to improve their energy performance, and this by reducing their expenditure and their energy consumption.
Since the 1970s, the State has been working in this area to encourage individuals and professionals to engage in this practice. To do this, precise regulations have been put in place and objectives have been set so as to obtain a visible result on the renovated housing units. These objectives are global and cover the ecological, social and economic dimensions.
To do this, energy renovation is based on three vectors, which are advice and support for individuals, the establishment of financial aid for this purpose and the mobilization of competent professionals.
Why undertake energy renovation works?
Undertaking energy renovation work at home offers many advantages:
- Save money : by carrying out energy renovation work, households reduce their energy expenditure. Indeed, this work aims to make their habitat better insulated and their appliances more efficient. This combination makes it possible to reduce energy consumption and therefore to pay less for your bills.
- Better living comfort : saving money is good, but living in better comfort is just as important, if not more so. Proper insulation of your home is the best way to live in a healthier, less humid and less polluted environment. It is also a good solution to reduce noise pollution from outside or from the neighborhood.
- Reduce environmental pollution : a poorly insulated home consumes much more energy and pollutes the environment much more. Improving the performance of your home helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the air.
- Avoid a price hike : the cost of different energy sources continues to increase year after year. Gas, electricity, coal, wood, fuel oil… the prices of raw materials are experiencing almost constant increases. Energy renovation makes it possible to reduce expenses so as to be less affected by these increases.
- Improve the value of your property : it’s not always a priority, but improving the energy performance of your home through energy renovation work helps to improve its value by 5% to almost 30%, which is far from negligible. In case of sale or rental, you have everything to gain!
- Financial aid : households are supported by aid from the State and private organizations for carrying out their energy renovation work.
What works can be undertaken as part of the energy renovation?
As seems logical, energy renovation concerns work that improves the energy performance of a home. Before undertaking this work, it is recommended to call on an expert who can identify the points in your home that require energy improvement. Here are the different positions that may be affected.
L’isolation
For a home to be efficient, it must be well insulated. Even if you install the latest and most efficient equipment, they will have no effect without good insulation. Indeed, for dwellings over 30 years old, it is estimated that energy losses vary between 10 and 15% at the level of the windows and between 20 and 25% at the level of the walls and roofs. With good insulation, you can reduce your energy bill by around 60%.
Heating
Heating is the second important point. Indeed, without efficient heating adapted to your home and your lifestyle, you will waste energy unnecessarily. Choose recent, high-performance equipment, which may cost more to buy, but which will save you a lot of money in use. Prefer heating systems adapted to your rooms, well placed and well regulated, in particular by regulating devices such as the thermostat.
Ventilation
The ventilation of a dwelling is essential to renew the air, evacuate humidity and pollution and have a positive effect on the health of its occupants. Opt for the installation of a VMC (controlled mechanical ventilation) or a VMR (distributed mechanical ventilation) which will make you gain in air quality and make significant savings.
What are the aids relating to energy renovation?
Several aids exist to help households finance their energy renovation work:
- Ma prime rénov’ : this system created in January 2020 brings together the tax credit for energy transition (CITE) and the “Living better agility” system of the National Housing Agency (Anah). It allows low-income households to finance energy renovation work up to 8,000 euros. It is also possible to obtain aid of up to 2,400 euros for the replacement of a gas boiler. This aid can be combined with the eco-loan.
- Eco-loan : this interest-free, interest-free, means-tested loan with no application fees contributes to the financing of certain works within the framework of energy renovation. It can reach the amount of 30,000 euros. This aid can be combined with My renovation bonus.
- VAT at 5.5% : VAT is reduced to 5.5% for many households instead of 10%. This non-cumulative reduction is open to all energy renovation work and is applied directly by the professional requested.
- Exemption from property tax : owners of homes built before 1989 in eligible municipalities can benefit from a temporary exemption from property tax while carrying out their energy renovation work.