In the fall of 2022, Olivier Klein, Minister of Housing, announced several measures in favor of the zero-rate eco-loan (eco-PTZ), but obtaining this financing is still complicated.
This interest-free loan is used to finance energy renovation work in a home. While it was supposed to end at the end of 2021, the system has been extended until the end of 2023.
Up to €50,000 without interest
To help the French finance their energy renovation work, the eco-PTZ ceiling has been raised from €30,000 to €50,000. And the maximum repayment period has been increased from 15 to 20 years.
It is thus a question of responding to the challenges of energy renovation in the country, where almost 5 million homes are still poorly insulated, says the Ministry of Energy Transition.
An easier loan
Another desire of the government: to simplify access to this loan. Previously, the owner of a home had to prepare a list of all the work to be done and had to submit estimates, checked by the National Housing Agency (Anah), before requesting an eco-PTZ from his bank. .
Since November 2022, the owner will only have to present his eligibility for the unit MaPrimeRénov’, issued by Anah. Less paperwork, less administration… The minister’s promise was to make it possible to massively finance the rest of the energy renovation work.
Finally, very few eco-PTZs are granted
However, according to THAT The newspaper Le Parisien of 23 April 2023, this is not the case. In six months, the eco-PTZ has been awarded only 130 times throughout the country. “We are in the initial phase, a loan takes some time to complete, there are work delays, the networks take responsibility. We expect a ramp-up over the year thanks to simplification,” defended the Ministry of Housing to the newspaper.
According to him, all the banks actually do not offer this device yet or do not promote it enough to their customers. Furthermore, only the BPCE group (Banques Populaires et Caisses d’Epargne), Crédit Agricole, Banque Postale, Crédit Mutuel* or even CIC have currently worked on an eco-PTZ offer.
Additional fees
The other black spot that would explain this failure around eco-PTZ is the counterparties required by the banking institutions that offer it. Some customers would have had insurance imposed on their loans, which entailed costs. But the very purpose of a zero-interest loan is that it costs nothing for its subscriber.
* The bank owns the Ebra group, to which your newspaper belongs
