Creuse, French champion of energy sieves

With more than one in three homes classified F or G in terms of insulation, the inhabitants of Creuse are among the most exposed, in France, to energy poverty at a time when electricity bills will further increase.

Nicolas Peinturier, head of Renov 23, a service supported by the departmental energy union, sees “nothing surprising” in the ranking of the National Observatory of Energy Renovation which identified the most “strainers” in the Creuse – 35 % of primary residences obtained the two worst scores.

First explanation according to him: the local specificities of the building. “The typical Creuse house, with its thick stone walls, is nice in the summer because the inertia allows you to be cool but in the winter, we have enormous losses,” underlines the specialist.

“In the 1960s and 70s, we saw the appearance of pavilions in Guéret, with houses on basements,” he adds. “There could be a little bit of insulation but we rather heat the garage than the stay…”

Another factor is the low income in Creuse, well below the national average with a median of 19,590 euros/year compared to 21,930 euros elsewhere on average, according to the Banque de France.

– “Depressing” –

“The population is elderly, with fewer resources in general,” continues Nicolas Peinturier. “Sometimes these people live in a single room to heat only that one.”

“But when we live in a sieve, everyone can find themselves in a situation of energy poverty,” he considers. A household is considered as such if it devotes more than 10% of its income to heating: with the rise in energy prices, which will increase further for electricity on February 1, “it has become more fluent”.

And it quickly becomes a taboo.

In Guéret, Marie (first name changed), owner of a house, spends nearly 200 euros per month on her electricity bill even though she is paid the minimum wage (AFP/Archives/PASCAL LACHENAUD)

Marie (first name changed, Editor’s note), commercial employee, raises her two children alone in Guéret in a house she owns, and spends nearly 200 euros per month on her electricity bill even though she is paid the minimum wage.

“However, we heat ourselves at a minimum, to 19 degrees or even 18 and we wear sweaters. But even by reducing our consumption, the bill does not go down due to the rise in prices and it’s depressing,” says the mother of family.

She is now looking to rent another accommodation, as she cannot finance a renovation of her house. “It easily amounts to several thousand euros for insulation because you have to change a lot of things. I have just discovered that there is aid but it remains a little vague,” she confides.

– Fear of procedures –

“Many people do not dare to take the steps or do not know the systems that exist,” confirms Nicolas Peinturier. In November, his department made a “Renov Tour” by truck across the Creuse to inform the population.

Michel (first name changed, Editor’s note) benefited from the Ma Prime Rénov’ system to insulate his house in terms of windows and walls.

“A friend told me about it and it made the process easier for me while saving money. My accommodation went from F to D. Now, I’m waiting to see the repercussions on the bill but I don’t expect no longer a division by two”, indicates this retiree in the west of the department.

Among the support structures, Dorémi, a social and solidarity economy company launched six years ago in France, promotes technical solutions “which make it possible to divide the energy consumption of a house by four to eight”, argues its general director. , Arthur Brac de la Perrière.

This HEC graduate, former insurance executive converted to crafts, notes that the room for progress in Creuse is “significant” and insists on the training of professionals in the sector, which is insufficient according to him.

“Today, when leaving school, everyone knows how to carry out work to achieve 55% energy savings. But this is not enough, we must go further.”

© 2024 AFP

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