What’s stopping homeowners from initiating a thermal renovation?
According to the first survey conducted by the Figaro real estate portal to find out the degree of knowledge of owners in terms of Energy Performance Diagnosis (ECD), these are doing much better than expected. No less than 63% of them say they have undertaken energy renovation work or plan to do so. A figure that seems somewhat optimistic given the limited number of large-scale works carried out so far. After the wave of window replacements, the French are changing boilers without carrying out in-depth work to better insulate their homes.
Beyond these declarations of (good) intentions, the investigation teaches us more about the brakes which prevent carrying out this work. And if money remains the sinews of war, these brakes are far from being all financial. Many owners cite the additional difficulties created by living in a condominium. A problem well identified by the public authorities and by the banks which are working on loan formulas and relaxation of the rules for decision-making in co-ownership. Another serious problem: the difficulty of finding a good craftsman. Here too, the problem has been identified and is likely to escalate. To benefit from the best quality of work and several subsidies, you have to turn to a company labeled RGE (recognized guarantor of the environment). However, they only represent 16% or even 5% of all companies, depending on the counting methods. When you know how difficult it can be to find a craftsman even without this precious sesame, it could well complicate the deal. Discover in this article, the places where finding a good craftsman is (a little) less difficult.
A consulting service
Last non-financial obstacle: a lack of knowledge of the strategies to adopt, since 61% of respondents said they would like to know the work that would allow them to improve the DPE score of their home. Their dream? To be able to have access to a good quality advisory service at a reduced cost.
And to come to questions of money and more specifically subsidies, the fear is to miss out. No less than 68% of respondents admit not knowing the aid they could obtain from the state and they are even 82% unaware of local aid. However, 60% of them rely on this type of aid to launch their work (even if 67% think that they will use their savings and 21% a loan).
