It’s finally summer, but before you escape for the summer holidays, you’ll do well to take a look at these changes which will take effect this Friday.
Bye-bye oil or coal boilers
Due to global warming, it will no longer be possible from 1 July to install, in residential buildings as in those for professional use, equipment for heating or hot water production whose greenhouse gas emissions greenhouse exceed 300 gCO2eq/KWh NCV. Oil or coal boilers are thus de facto disqualified.
Exceptions are nevertheless provided for: these models of boilers will remain authorized if the work necessary to install another type is impossible or if the building does not have a heating or natural gas network.
As for the oil or coal boilers already installed, they can continue to be used, especially if they can still be maintained and repaired. Financial aid, which can go up to 11,000 euros if the new installation uses renewable energy, is however planned to encourage their replacement. 900,000 pieces of heating equipment, including 350,000 running on fuel oil, have already been changed between 2019 and 2021, allowing the households concerned to avoid the emission of 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 each year, i.e. the equivalent of emissions 1.7 million individual cars annually.
New aid for energy renovation work
Another novelty on the housing side and this is good news if you plan to carry out energy renovation work: it will be possible, from July 1, to obtain a zero-rate eco-loan for a maximum amount of 30 000 euros. The work in question can already be started when the loan is requested, provided it is less than six months old.
Above all, this zero-rate eco-loan can be combined with MaPrimeRénov. The conditions of accumulation are specified by the decree dated March 30, 2022.
More complete real estate listings for individuals
After the results of the baccalaureate and Parcoursup, many future students will start looking for accommodation for the start of the school year. On the market for studios and small apartments, ads posted by non-professional landlords are aplenty.
Fortunately, the supervision of these is reinforced from July 1: they must now contain the same information as that of the pros, namely in particular the amount of the monthly rent, the rental charges and their terms of payment, the furnished or no of the rental, as well as the amount of the security deposit that may be required.
They must also specify whether the rent control applies to the area of the accommodation in question.
Evolution of the price of tobacco
Changes in tobacco prices from Friday will be minimal: only the pack of 20 cigarettes of Elixyr Fresh and red Che Fresh loses 20 cents, from 9.80 to 9.60 euros.
The changes are much more numerous on the side of cigars. Find the complete list by consulting the nomenclature of tobacco selling prices on July 1, 2022.
Helmets: new standard for two-wheeler riders
On the road, the regulations are changing concerning helmets worn by motorcyclists: the ECE 22.05 standard, in force since 2007, will be replaced from Friday by the ECE 22.06. If the requirements in terms of labels, reflective bands and chinstrap closure are identical, the new tests guaranteeing the resistance of the helmet to shocks and projections will be reinforced.
If this change in standard occurs on July 1, 2022, two-wheeler enthusiasts have two years to equip themselves with a new helmet corresponding to the ECE 22.06 standard. The price of the new approval being more expensive in view of the additional tests, they fear that this price increase will affect the selling prices of the new helmets.
As for helmets approved according to the ECE 22.05 standard, they will no longer be manufactured from July 1, 2022 and will definitely disappear from the shelves on January 1, 2024.
As a reminder, article R431-1 of the Highway Code specifies that any driver or passenger of a motorcycle, motor tricycle, motor quadricycle or moped who is not wearing an approved helmet is liable to a fourth-class fine: fixed fine of 135 euros and withdrawal of three points from the driving licence.
And also…
Banning new substances to protect children
Three new fragrance substances will be banned in children’s games and toys from July 5, 2022: atranol and chloroatranol, which are extracts of oak moss containing tannins, as well as methyl carbonate heptin, a molecule synthetic with the smell of violets and plants. They are added to the 55 perfuming substances already prohibited for safety reasons.
In addition, without being prohibited, 71 new substances join the list of products that can cause allergies which must be reported if they are present in a child’s toy.
The service-public.fr site specifies that these substances are most often found in olfactory board games, cosmetic sets (soap making games, shampoos, make-up, etc.) or taste toys, for culinary preparations or candies, which are designed for children over the age of three.