New DPE: some 850,000 homes classified as energy sieves should be upgraded in 2026

François Bayrou announced on Wednesday, July 9, a change in the calculation of the energy performance diagnosis (DPE) for housing, the main tool for energy renovation of buildings. According to Matignon, by 2026, this reform should largely favor electric heating, removing 850,000 homes out of the 5.8 million homes classified as F or G in the DPE from the energy sieve category.

In detail, it is the electricity conversion coefficient, which is used to calculate the energy actually consumed from energy readings and bills, which will change , going from 2.3 currently to 1.9. Matignon states in a press release that this "change will better reflect the reality of the French energy mix , largely decarbonized thanks to nuclear power, and will correct an unequal treatment which until now penalized homes heated by electricity."

For Nicolas Goldberg, an energy expert at Colombus Consulting, the reform aims to "correct energy performance certificates (DPEs), which currently place a significant disfavor on electricity in small spaces, whether due to heating or hot water tanks." Natural gas, on the other hand, benefits from a coefficient of 1, which is more advantageous than electricity. "This change prevents certain homes of less than 40 m² from being classified as thermal sieves because they are electric, whereas they would not have been if they had been heated by gas," he adds in the justification.

"The downside is that this discourages thermal renovation in these small electrically heated homes where the bills can be complicated for tenants," Nicolas Goldberg qualifies. " This decision will also make it possible to target energy renovation aid more effectively on homes heated by fossil fuels," Matignon rightly suggests, while a change in the rules for allocating this aid is currently under consideration.

The Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, welcomed this announcement: "This is a victory for our 95% carbon-free electricity mix, thanks to nuclear and renewable energies, and a strong signal in favor of the electrification of homes." Electricity "is an essential asset for successfully renovating homes, combating climate change , and strengthening our sovereignty."

For David Rodrigues, legal director of the CLCV (Consumption, Housing and Living Environment) association, this change in the calculation of the DPE " is nothing more or less than a political stance to promote electricity and nuclear power, and a gift to landlords and professionals who have been asking for years for an easing of constraints ."

He also questions "the signal sent" by this new reform of the DPE, already amended several times, and fears that it " reinforces skepticism towards the DPE ." The amendment to the DPE should take effect on January 1, 2026, after the publication of a decree scheduled for September and a public consultation that will be launched in the coming days.