Energy precariousness redefined refocuses the bonuses of energy savings certificates

The Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty published in the JORF No. 0263 of November 10, 2026, an order dated November 5, 2026 (NOR: ECOR2625692A) which modifies the definition of energy precariousness within the energy savings certificates scheme. The text reserves bonuses for the residential and transport sectors to so-called “very modest” households and establishes new supporting documents. It enters into force on November 16, 2026, and applies only to operations initiated as of that date.

The text modifies two structural orders: the order of September 4, 2014, which governs supporting documents and sworn statements, and the order of December 29, 2014, relating to the application procedures of the energy savings certificates scheme. Furthermore, it replaces Annexes I, I bis, and I ter of the latter text with only two annexes, which establish, department by department, the percentages of “very modest” households and households in a situation of energy precariousness used to calculate volume fractions.

A structure with two distinct categories

Article 3 of the order implements a swap of terminology in Article 3-1 of the order of December 29, 2014:

• Section II bis, which until now targeted households “in a situation of energy precariousness,” now designates the category “very modest households”;
• Section II ter, which targeted “modest households,” now carries the qualification of energy precariousness;
• Section II quater specifies that “a household is considered to be in a situation of energy precariousness if it belongs to income deciles 1 to 5.”

The bonus is therefore no longer based solely on energy precariousness, but on the narrower stratum of very modest households, which is the only category eligible for the increased coefficients under Articles 3-5-2, 3-6, and 3-9.

Tax notice, energy voucher, and complementary health insurance

Annex 5 of the order of September 4, 2014, is rewritten. The situation of energy precariousness is justified by one of the following documents:

• the tax notice or notice of non-taxation for each tax household of the household, for income from year N - 1 or N - 2;
• the income tax certificate issued by the tax administration.

For very modest households, two additional documents are accepted:

• the certificate of entitlement to complementary health protection provided for in Article R. 861-16 of the Social Security Code, valid as of the reference date;
• the certificate accompanying the energy voucher provided for in Article L. 124-1 of the Energy Code, whose expiration date is after the reference date.

The reference date is, at the choice of the party, the date the operation was initiated, its completion date, or the date of the request for certificates from the minister in charge of energy. The beneficiary must establish a nominal list of the households concerned and include it in the sworn statement.

Revised Rechargeable Coefficients

The scales of the “Coup de pouce” charters have been overhauled. For air-to-water and water-to-water heat pumps (sheets BAR-TH-171 and BAR-TH-172):

• coefficient 5 for very modest households;
• coefficient 3 for households in energy poverty who are not very modest;
• coefficient 5 for other households.

For combined solar (BAR-TH-143, operations initiated before January 1, 2027), the coefficients are 5, 3, and 4; for connection to a heating network (BAR-TH-137), they are 2 and 1.5. Wood heating appliances (BAR-TH-112) and biomass boilers (BAR-TH-113) retain three-level scales, up to 5. The text also specifies that only the charter appearing in Annex V-6 may be signed and that installed heat pumps must hold the approval provided for by Decree No. 2026-413 of May 29, 2026.

Transport: Income Decile Included in Attestations

Annex 6 includes a new mandatory field: the reference tax income decile per share of the beneficiary, for standardized operation sheets in the transport sector. Annex 7-1 provides the ceilings per share, from decile 1 (€1,970) to decile 9 (€35,880), with decile 10 corresponding to higher incomes.

Departmental percentages vary significantly: 51% of very modest households in Paris and 80% in energy poverty, compared to 77% and 95% in Gard, or 80% and 94% for overseas collectivities.

For artisans, installers, and renovators, the main consequence is documentary: files submitted from November 16, 2026, must be linked to the correct household category and accompanied by the corresponding supporting documents, otherwise the increased coefficient will be lost. Operations initiated before this date remain governed by the previous rules.

Source: Official Journal of the French Republic, JORF No. 0263 of November 10, 2026, order of November 5, 2026 amending the definition of energy poverty within the framework of the energy savings certificates scheme, NOR: ECOR2625692A.