What can I have an eco tax credit for?

It is true that details of what qualifies for a tax credit, and amounts of credits available, have regularly altered over the years.

In their current form, these credits are called crédit d’impôt pour la transition énergétique (CITE) and they are available at least until the end of 2019.

They are for your main home, whether you own or rent it, and only if you are a French tax resident.

The work must in most cases have been completed by a worker who is certified RGE (Reconnu garant de l’environnement). You can find such workers via faire.fr by clicking trouver un professionnel.

This should also ensure that the equipment they install meets the correct standards for the credits.

In most cases, the tax credit applies only to the cost of materials or equipment, and not labour.

Exceptions to this include the installation of wall insulation or, for modest-income households, installing solar thermal water heaters or heating, or removal of an oil tank.

The rates are 15% for double-glazing to replace single-glazed windows and otherwise 30% (50% for removing an oil tank).

The expenses to which this can apply are subject to an overall ceiling of €8,000 for a single person or double for a couple, plus €400 per dependant.

The ceiling applies over a five-year period. In some cases there are also ceilings for specific items or work, such as up to €100 per window for double-glazing or up to €3,350 for boilers.

Items for which a credit is available include:

- Very high-performance gas boilers or gas micro-cogeneration boilers;

- Double-glazing replacing single-glazing;

- Equipment for controlling and timing heating;

- Individual meters for heating and domestic hot water in flats;

- Geothermal heat pumps (not air/air pumps) either for heating or for heating and domestic hot water;

- Thermodynamic water heaters;

- Solar thermal water heaters or heating, solar thermal panels and associated equipment including hot water tanks. Note that ordinary photovoltaic panels do not qualify but “hybrid” ones (also called aérovoltaïque) that produce hot water and electricity at the same time, do qualify;

- Wood or other biomass burner heaters and boilers;

- Hydraulic energy heaters or hot-water heaters;

- Insulation of outside walls, ground floors, roof terraces, lofts, heating equipment;

- Biomass or hydraulic electricity generators;

- An energy performance audit of the home;

- An electric car charging point.

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