This Tuesday marks the fourth national day against fuel poverty. And surprisingly, the people most affected by this scourge are owner-occupiers, which “is counter-intuitive“as Bernard Saincy, President of the Stop exclusion énergétique association, points out.
“We often think that because they’re owner-occupiers, they’re rich but this is not the case“, warns Gilles Berhault, general delegate of Stop exclusion énergétique. “Either these homeowners inherited a house and can’t afford to maintain it, or they could afford to buy it at the time but can’t afford to maintain it today.“explains Emmanuelle Béart, patron of the Stop exclusion énergétique association, which is launching an appeal for donations, which can be sent by SMS to 92030, to speed up the fight against fuel poverty.
Over a million euros raised by 2021
The aim is to help 1,000 families a year by 2025, and support 500 projects. Energy renovation work can be financed up to 90% by subsidies such as Ma Prime Rénov’, but the remaining 10% is a burden on the budgets of modest families, according to the collective. This missing 10% represents a “Himalaya for these families“according to Bernard Saincy. Donations raised will be used to finance a fund to cover the cost of the work.
There are 500,000 families in France who own a colander, or a thermal kettletoo poor to undertake the work. “I’ve seen the absolute distress, the social isolation due to the shame people can feel when living in a heat sieve, the harmful consequences on health. One woman showed me her wet clothes, her closet full of mold.“worries Emmanuelle Béart. Fuel poverty has a real impact on people’s health. According to France Stratégie, renovating all substandard housing by 2028 would save nearly €10 billion a year in health costs.
The first stop energy exclusion campaign in 2021, launched by Emmanuelle Béart, raised over a million euros from the general public and businesses. As a result, 512 people were lifted out of fuel poverty, and 250 projects were supported. “We can eradicate fuel poverty“concludes Gilles Berhault.