Could property owners in France be obliged to combat heat in tenanted homes?
MPs from several parties want to tackle ‘boiler homes’
Nearly half of people in France said they felt too warm in their homes last summer
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A cross-party group of MPs will soon introduce a bill to France’s Assemblée nationale that aims to bring an end to over-hot houses in the country.
The move comes following a report by the Fondation pour le Logement des Défavorisés (formerly Fondation Abbé Pierre) which claims up to a third of properties in France are not equipped to deal with the summer heat.
As summers get warmer and more intense, the health risks of these ‘boiler homes’ may become a national crisis, the foundation has warned.
In 2024, 42% of people in France reported feeling too warm in their home during the summer, and 3,700 died due to heat-related issues.
The issue largely affects those living in built-up urban areas, young and elderly people, those of modest incomes and those most exposed to the warm temperatures (often those in the south).
Reformed energy ratings, ‘summer comfort’ system
The report by MPs has not yet entered parliament, but will include a number of suggestions included in the foundation’s report.
Among these are:
Adding overly warm housing into the wider definitions of ‘energy poverty’
Banning electricity cuts throughout the year so that no one is unable to use electronic means to cool down their homes (such as a fan)
Systematically displaying the ‘summer comfort’ rating of the housing's energy performance certificate (diagnostic de performance énergétique, DPE) on all property advertisements
Setting a renovation schedule for rental properties facing overheating that will begin in 2030
Modifying the voting system in co-ownerships to facilitate the installation of solar protection
Ensuring that comprehensive housing renovations systematically address summer comfort
Once introduced, the bill has a good chance of passing, with MPs from seven parties already backing it.
The bill would see summer heat become a more prominent topic regarding energy inefficient homes.
Currently, the DPE system mainly focuses on whether a property is eco-friendly and remains warm in winter, but for millions of homes the opposite issue is also a problem.
The foundation estimates that only 10% of homes with the highest-possible rating on the scale (‘A’) actually have a ‘good’ rating for staying cool in the summer months.
Install all properties with protection
The foundation is also urging the government to increase spending in the area, asking it to pledge an additional €1 billion per year towards ‘simple summer comfort measures’.
The aid would allow France to “equip all housing with air circulators and sun protection by 2040,” the foundation said.
“This is an ambitious but necessary goal for the adaptation of housing to heat waves,” it adds.
You can read the foundation’s full report here.
