Financial help in the form of MaPrimeRenov, is now available to all homeowners in France, which is great news for French residents who are building or renovating property. But, as with so many things, getting your hands on it can involve a lot of paperwork. Fortunately, we have Artisan Central Member and owner of Ecopower Europe, Lindsey Elliott, to tell us exactly what English-speaking homeowners in France need to know about MaPrimeRenov and how to find out what you could be eligible for.
What is MaPrimeRenov?
MaPrimeRenov is a grant made up of several parts – some funded by the government and managed by the organisation L’Anah, and some (known as Primes Energie) funded by fuel suppliers such as EDF – and it now replaces the Credit d’Impôts system for eco renovation reimbursement, which ended on 31 December 2020.
It’s not actually a new thing; the government has simply opened the grant system (previously reserved for those with a very modest income) to everyone. They say it’s to boost the economy, improve the housing stock’s overall energy rating, and encourage the population to make changes to improve their energy consumption. The amount you could get is still subject to household revenue, however – a banding system has just been introduced, which is based on the household revenue noted on your Avis d’impôts.
Positive news all round then; MaPrimeRenov is good for the planet, good our budgets, and, as a bonus, it gets us thinking about our energy use, which has the effect of reducing our consumption and, in turn, our bills. So, what’s the catch? Well, the system is a little ‘clunky’ (although, to be fair, it’s a lot easier to navigate than previous grant systems), which means getting your hands on a grant requires a degree of patience and knowhow.
What is the grant made up of?
The idea of MaPrimeRenov is to bring together all the grants that are available from different organisations and put them in the hands of one central agency – in theory, to make the application process easier. If you go to the Faire website, you’ll find lots of information about each one, but I suggest using the simulation tool, which automatically identifies all the ‘aides’ you’re eligible for, so you don’t have to trawl through them individually. As an example, if you wanted to swap an old oil boiler for a pellet boiler, you could receive the following (subject to revenue band):
- MaPrimeRenov – up to 10,000 euros
- Aide for disposal of an oil tank – up to 1,200 euros (contents must be neutralised to current ‘Normes’)
- Coupe de Pousse CEE* – up to 4,740 euros
- Aide Diagnostic Energie – up to 500 euros
- Bonus for improving a property with an energy label F or G – up to 1,500 euros
*The Coup de Pouce CEE is funded by energy suppliers, and is referred to as the Primes Energie part of the grant. Although the MaPrimeRenov dossier does take this grant into account, you still have to apply for it separately you can do this yourself, using a ‘devis’ from an RGE artisan / company, or the company supplying your new eco equipment can do it on your behalf). The amount you’re granted will depend on the equipment being replaced as well as the equipment being installed, and the income category you come under (blue / pink). For example, anyone in the ‘blue’ band would get approx. 4,448 euros for replacing an oil boiler which is more than 15 years old with a pellet boiler. It’s worth noting that the amounts do vary depending on which company you apply through, however!
What renovation works are eligible for the grant?
In effect, any work that results in energy efficiency. For example:
- Roof and wall insulation in living spaces
- Ventilation to reduce humidity or condensation or to prevent overheating – for example, in apartments with lots of glazing
- Replacing a boiler that’s more than 15 years old with one which is more energy efficient, or switching to an appliance which uses renewable fuel
- Replacing ancient electric radiators with a whole new system which includes efficient radiators with thermostatic controls
- Replacing windows and doors with double glazing or secondary glazing (but only if your project includes insulated window shutters)
- Energy audits
- Installing solar-powered hot water systems, dual systems and solar PV (these can be included as part of an overall set of works, but since they must help you to achieve a 55% improvement on your property’s energy efficiency, you’ll need an energy audit carrying out before and after).
Some quick facts about MaPrimeRenov
- The maximum grant is 20,000 euros per household (but depending on your project, there may be individual maximums for the equipment you want to buy)
- The work must have begun after the 1st October 2020 and not before
- You will need to have a ‘Devis’ (a quote) and ‘facture’ (invoice) from an RGE qualified installer
- It is available to all property owners, including landlords (as long as your property will be available to rent once the work is completed), and also applies to ‘maison secondaires’, provided that the owner is a French tax resident
- You must have a French ‘Numero fiscal’ with at least one Avis d’impôts – so for those who arrived in France in 2020, you will need to wait for Summer 2021, when your first Avis will arrive
- Your property must be more than two years old
- The grant money is managed and provided by the government agency L’Anah
How to check your eligibility
You can do a simulation on the government’s Faire website. Just click on either the ‘maison’ or ‘apartment’ option to launch the simulator page.
You will need to provide the following:
- Your last Avis d’impôts
- Your house’s year of construction
- The floor area in m2
- The number of fiscal parts on your Avis
- The total amount paid for any work you’ve had done in the last 5 years, for which you received Crédit d’impôts within the last five years, you will need the TTC figure on the Devis you received (from an RGE installer)
- You will also need an idea of the work you would like to carry out so that you can tick the various options on the list
Once you have completed the simulation, it should tell you the amount of grant available to someone in your circumstances. It will also give you a reference code to keep. You can use this to gain access to your simulation again and update it if you need to. You can also use the code if you decide to make a formal application, and proceed to the dossier stage.
Thanks to Lindsey at EcoPower for sharing your knowledge and expertise! We’ll be publishing another blog from Lindsey soon, which will guide you through the dossier process, so make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter and following us on social media, to be sure that you don’t miss it!
