It is no longer time to only focus on reducing residential energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This pursuit of energy efficiency through the renovation of housing, to result in a stock of low-consumption buildings, has mobilized the State since the mid-2000s, but it is no longer sufficient, underlines the Court of Auditors in its 2024 annual report made public on Tuesday March 12, dedicated to adaptation to climate change. Public policies must also make adapting housing to the consequences of climate change a priority.
First observation of the financial institution: energy renovation does not make it possible to adapt housing to climate change. Public aid does not respond to the growing risks posed by heat peaks, flooding or shrinkage-swelling phenomena in clay soils. In their report, the financial magistrates recall that, with 3.1 billion euros of expenditure in 2022, MaPrimeRénov’, the first public aid for energy renovation, aims primarily to improve winter comfort. In accordance with the objective of mitigating global warming, three quarters of the files subsidized by MaPrimeRénov concerned the change in heating method. Certainly, comprehensive renovations, which make it possible to treat the entire habitat, including the ventilation and insulation of homes, contribute more to their adaptation to climate change, but they only represent 3% of the renovated surfaces.
After several scorching summers, awareness is underway, as evidenced by the initiative of the City of Paris to organize crisis exercises in 2023, to deal with heat peaks of 50°C. The Ministry of Ecological Transition has decided to support the improvement of summer comfort from 2024, as part of large-scale renovations, “in order to combat thermal kettles in the same way as colanders”. The installation of heat pumps to cool the air, air mixers or solar protection for glass walls can now be financed with MaPrimeRénov’. As for the inclusion of work to adapt housing to the risks of flooding and shrinkage-swelling phenomena of clay soils in the renovation support system, “the question, however, remains asked”underlines the Court of Auditors.
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