New rules to define heat pumps eligible for energy grants in France

Rules designed to favour European-made heat pumps for grants are due to come into force later this year, with a list of eligible heat pumps set to be published in September. 

The government has long promoted domestic installations of heat pumps. According to the French Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe), they can cut bills and electricity consumption by half compared to electric radiators.

However, they are less popular with the public because of their high prices and the difficulty of installing them, especially in urban areas where noise issues and building regulations make siting them tricky. 

Sales of domestic heat pumps fell in 2025 to 803,700 units, after reaching a peak of 910,400 units in 2023.

Calls for further financial aid

Trade body Uniclima is calling for a stable system of household grants to encourage their use. In 2025, the main government aid was through its MaPrimeRénov’ scheme, which was temporarily paused to tackle fraud, and again when its budget was spent. 

It has since reopened, with stricter conditions.

Financial help through the certificats d'économies d'énergie (CEE) initiative has also become increasingly complicated. 

This allows large companies to offset carbon taxes against home energy efficiency schemes. However, heat pump manufacturers say it is too easy to get lost in the myriad rules which can apply.

The new rules will limit CEE grants to EU-made heat pumps and should make obtaining aid easier.

In 2023, President Emmanuel Macron set a target for one million heat pumps a year to be made in France by 2027, but Uniclima said the target is still a long way from being met.