What the DGEC announced on 6 November 2026
The French Directorate General for Energy and Climate (DGEC) issued on 6 November 2026 a Flash info on extending fuel poverty to modest-income households. The document announces an order that is due to be published shortly. The new definition of fuel poverty will apply to operations committed from 16 November 2026.
Fuel poverty, within the energy savings certificate (CEE) scheme, refers to households whose income is below a ceiling set by ministerial order. Operations carried out for these households generate "fuel poverty" CEE. These certificates are used to meet an obligation that is separate from the so-called standard obligation.
This specific obligation has existed since the 2015 energy transition for green growth act. According to the ministry page on the CEE scheme, it stems from Article L. 211-1-1 of the French Energy Code and took effect on 1 January 2016.
| Item | What the Flash info of 6 November 2026 announces |
|---|---|
| Text | order to be published shortly |
| Date of application | operations committed from 16 November 2026 |
| Transport | fuel poverty threshold raised from decile D3 to decile D5 inclusive |
| Other sectors | fuel poverty extended to low-income households as defined by Anah |
| Income-related bonuses | coefficient kept or multiplied by 7/12 depending on the household |
| BAR-TH-174 and BAR-TH-175 supported by Anah | coefficient 3 (low-income households), 2 (other households) |
Frequently asked questions on the new scope
What changes in the transport sector?
Transport sheets identify households by income decile. A decile splits the population into ten income bands of equal size: D1 covers the tenth of households with the lowest incomes.
In the current system, fuel-poor households occupy deciles D1 to D3, and modest-income households deciles D4 and D5. The Flash info plans to raise the fuel poverty threshold to decile D5 inclusive. The modest-income category is therefore abolished, since its members become fuel-poor.
The bonuses that some sheets reserved for deciles 4 and 5 also disappear. The DGEC justifies this choice by the price gap between the two categories of certificates. In its view, the difference in market price between fuel-poverty CEE and standard CEE offsets the difference in bonus between fuel-poor and modest-income households. The final grant would thus remain similar.
And in the other sectors?
Outside transport, the sheets rely on the income categories of the French national housing agency (Anah). The Flash info of 6 November 2026 uses its four segments: very-low-income (TMO), low-income (MO), intermediate (INT) and higher-income (SUP) households.
Today, the CEE fuel poverty threshold covers only Anah's very-low-income households. After the announced order, it will cover households currently in fuel poverty and Anah's low-income households. The scope of fuel-poverty CEE therefore widens by a whole income category.
| Anah category | Current situation | From 16 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Very-low-income (TMO) | fuel poverty | fuel poverty |
| Low-income (MO) | outside fuel poverty | fuel poverty |
| Intermediate (INT) | outside fuel poverty | outside fuel poverty |
| Higher-income (SUP) | outside fuel poverty | outside fuel poverty |
How are bonuses recalculated?
Several sheets apply a bonus whose level depends on household income. The Flash info of 6 November 2026 describes how these coefficients are adapted.
Where the bonus targeted low-income households, the coefficient is kept for very-low-income households. For fuel-poor households that are not very-low-income, it is multiplied by a factor of 7/12, then rounded to the nearest whole number.
Where the bonus targeted both low-income households and other households, three rules apply. The coefficient is kept for very-low-income households. It is multiplied by 7/12 for fuel-poor households that are not very-low-income. It is kept for other households.
The 7/12 factor reflects the higher value of fuel-poverty CEE. According to the DGEC, it keeps the grant close to its current level for the household. The Flash info sums up the aim: the changes mainly seek to "faire évoluer l'assiette des ménages en situation de précarité énergétique".
What about deep renovation?
Sheets BAR-TH-174 (deep renovation of a single-family house) and BAR-TH-175 (deep renovation of a flat) are an exception. For operations supported by Anah, the Flash info raises the coefficient to 3 for low-income households. It raises it to 2 for other households, that is intermediate- and higher-income households.
Which date matters for a project in progress?
The decisive date is the date on which the operation is committed. An operation committed from 16 November 2026 will fall under the new definition. An operation committed before that date remains subject to the current rules, unless the final order provides otherwise.
What the final order will have to settle
The Flash info of 6 November 2026 is an information document from the administration. It announces the content of an order without being the text itself. Several points can only be read once it is published in the Journal officiel.
The exact list of amended sheets. The Flash info describes general rules for recalculating bonuses. It does not list, sheet by sheet, the coefficients that result from applying the 7/12 factor. Each sheet concerned will need to be reread in its new version.
The applicable income ceilings. Outside transport, the new fuel poverty threshold refers to Anah's categories. The corresponding income ceilings fall under Anah's segmentations. The order will specify how this reference operates.
The treatment of operations straddling the date. The announced criterion is the commitment date of the operation. Two quotes signed one day apart, on either side of 16 November 2026, will not fall under the same regime. Proof of the commitment date therefore carries particular weight during this transition.
Why this change matters
The extension changes the base of fuel-poverty CEE, not just a coefficient. The same works, for a low-income household, will tomorrow generate fuel-poverty certificates instead of standard certificates. This shift affects the accounts of obligated parties, who must meet the two obligations separately.
The change comes at a time of major movement in the catalogue of sheets. The order of 26 October 2026 abolished 27 standardised operation sheets, with a census of committed operations due by 17 November 2026. The two timetables overlap for the same teams.
What it means for you
For an obligated party or a delegated body
Expected volumes of fuel-poverty CEE and standard CEE need to be reviewed. Operations for low-income households, committed from 16 November 2026, will feed the fuel-poverty share. Grant scales and partnership contracts that distinguish household categories deserve a review when the order is published.
For an installer or an agent
Quotes and sworn statements must reflect the household category at the right date. A category error results in a wrong CEE volume. Grant simulation tools will need to include the new coefficients from 16 November 2026.
For a landlord or a project owner
For a low-income owner-occupier, the grant amount should remain close to its current level, according to the DGEC. For a deep renovation supported by Anah, the coefficients of sheets BAR-TH-174 and BAR-TH-175 change. The commitment timetable of a project in preparation deserves examination before signing.
What we recommend
Date every commitment. For each operation about to be signed, the commitment date decides the applicable regime. It must be proven by a dated document.
Reread the order when it is published. The Flash info announces the content of the text, but only the order published in the Journal officiel is authoritative. The coefficients, the date of application and the sheets concerned must be checked against the final version.
Update grant simulators. The recalculated coefficients affect several sheets at once. A simulator left on the old scale will produce wrong amounts.
Our engineering office analyses each file against the version of the texts in force on the commitment date of the operation. For an overview of the scheme, see our guide to energy savings certificates and our CEE filing and issuance statistics. To have a file reviewed, see our support for CEE files or write to us.
