Climate: Kick-off of the four measures of the climate solidarity package

With the Climate Plan, presented in July 2017, France is committed to making clean mobility accessible to all and eradicating fuel poverty. In order to achieve this, Nicolas Hulot pushed through the "climate solidarity" package. These four concrete measures, which aim to improve the daily lives of French people, will come into force on 1 January 2018, and include a vehicle conversion bonus, an energy voucher, a tax credit for energy efficiency work and a "boost" for changing oil-fired boilers.

C’is the implementation of Nicolas Hulot's first wishes in which he reaffirms his determination to fight global warming and its disruptions, the climate solidarity package aimed at reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. Climate Solidarity, which is intended to "be the compass for government action".

The climate crisis forces us to think of the world as a single space of solidarity. This is not an option but a condition for peace, since this word is no longer a promise but a reality".

Nicolas Hulot

Indeed, we are not all equal in the face of climate change, and these new government measures should make it possible to achieve greater equity in the fight against inequalities. Especially since it is no longer a question of "fighting" climate change but of "adapting"?

That's what recalled the climatologist Jean Jouzelmember of the IPCC The central objective of climate justice is to do everything possible to ensure that global warming does not increase inequalities. It emerged as a central theme at the opening of COP 21. It has been a strong demand of civil society at the international level since 2003. » (Report of the EESC opinion - 27/09/2016).

- Energy - Generalization of the energy voucher to help the most modest

In 2018, the energy cheque will help 4 million low-income households pay their energy bills.

This measure covers all energies, such as biomass, when the old system only covered gas and electricity.

The average amount of the energy cheque is 150 € for 2018. It ranges from 48 € to 227 € depending on the level of income and the composition of the household and will thus enable families in a precarious situation to pay their energy bills, whatever their means of heating.

The Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition has set up a simulator to check a household's eligibility for the energy voucher, and to find out the amount: https://chequeenergie.gouv.fr/beneficiaire/eligibilite

Is the amount of this cheque sufficient with regard to the bills borne by households in a situation of fuel poverty? In 2016, the associative world demanded a minimum amount of 400 €, highlighting the increase in energy prices over the last 15 years.

- Energy Transition - A Tax Credit to Finance Renovations

ISCED, a renovation support scheme well known to households and enterprises, is extended in 2018. The aid rate of 30 % of the amount of work remains the general rule. Adjustments to the eligible works have been decided to refocus the ISCED on the most energy-efficient renovation actions (attic insulation or boiler replacement).

However, the eligibility of expenditure on the replacement of single-glazed windows is maintained with a rate of 15 % during the first six months of 2018 and work eligible for ISCED in 2017 continues to benefit from a reduced VAT rate of 5.5 % throughout 2018.

New in 2018: energy audits will become eligible for the tax credit so that households can have an inventory of their consumption and peacefully consider renovating their home. The qualifications of professional auditors will be specified by decree.

- Mobility - Launch of the conversion premium to accelerate the removal of the most polluting petrol and diesel vehicles from the fleet

In 2018, all French people who want to change an old polluting vehicle for a new or recently used car (Crit'air 1 or 2) emitting less than 130 gCO2/km will receive aid to combat air pollution, up to €1,000.

In 2018, this premium is doubled for non-taxable households, from €1,000 to €2,000.

Launch on Wednesday, January 3 of the information platform : www.primealaconversion.gouv.fr. Platform to find out the amount of the premium? What are the old vehicles taken back? What are the steps to be taken?

The new platform aims to answer all the questions that individuals and professionals who want to benefit from the new conversion premium scheme are asking themselves:

- a quick test to verify eligibility and the amount of the bonus granted ;

- a teleservice is directly accessible to make an online request;

- a frequently asked questions section provides all the practical information on how the bonus works (objectives of the scheme, conditions for obtaining it, steps to be taken, etc.);

- an area reserved for professionals is made available to facilitate the deployment of the device in the automotive sector

- Energy saving certificates - a "helping hand" for changing oil-fired boilers

In 2018, the energy saving certificate "boost" is significantly redirected and strengthened to provide significant support to modest and very modest households that are getting rid of an old oil-fired boiler to switch to a more efficient boiler using renewable energy.

In this case, the premium is :

- 3 000 € for households in great precariousness, i.e. very modest households in the sense of the ANAH (about one French person in four);

- 2 000 € for households in a precarious situation, i.e. modest households within the meaning of the ANAH (approximately one French person in two).

For the GERES, the investment for these households will remain too high to acquire equipment such as a biomass boiler or an air/water heat pump. The probable non-cumulation of this premium with the aid from the National Housing Agency does not go in the direction of an energy transition for all. A reinforcement of the "Coup de pouce économies d'énergie" scheme, launched in February 2017 for low-income households, would have had more impact and meaning.

"Climate issues are the cornerstone of universal solidarity. It is our duty to go beyond our objectives, to go further, faster. I hope that the ecological and solidarity transition, this tremendous economic, environmental and societal opportunity, can improve the daily lives of all French people. says Nicolas Hulot.

According to GERES, the climate solidarity package is moving in the right direction because "it aims to boost the momentum of the country's collective energy transition through increased financial support, particularly for the most modest.

Nevertheless, President Macron must not make us forget the global challenge of Climate Solidarity, which consists in supporting, in parallel with our national efforts, the most vulnerable populations in all countries, and in particular the least developed countries. The plan remains insufficient for precarious households living in poorly insulated housing. »

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