EXPERT
vary from department to department or even from commune to commune. In some areas, it is the prefecture that will deal with this, but your mairie should be able to point you in the right direction. One thing that France is
blessed with is plots of land, many with outline planning permission. For less than €50,000, you could be the owner of a three-quarter-acre country plot with lovely views and the chance to build your own dream home. There are many companies
now building or providing kits for passive homes that rely on insulation, solar power or geothermal power for 90% of their heating or cooling needs. The insulation can be in the form of prefabricated wooden panels, straw bales or wool, all of which provide a high level of thermal protection. Quick to build, they cost more than a traditional build, however, your annual costs will be much lower.
THE PASSIVE OPTION David Crews and his wife Elaine built a passive home in the Dordogne.
“Passive basically means highly insulated, airtight, enabling the inhabitants to need little in the way of either heating or cooling. The philosophy of the build is to be as kind to the environment as possible. Normally, but not always, the building is timber-framed,
“The air quality is brilliant, cooking smells disappear quickly and the filtered air means we all sleep really well”
with the exterior wall units made to measure in a factory, and then assembled on site. This ensures little or no wastage, and, because it is lightweight, it only needs a minimum concrete foundation. “Once assembled, the serious
work begins – a lot of insulation, regulated by build requirements for passivity. In our case, the floor has three different insulation products, including a recycled one plus more for the walls and the roof. Next is the ventilation
system, ducted throughout the structure before the ceilings go on. This is an integral part of the success of passivity, vital for maintaining a healthy and comfortable environment in an otherwise airtight atmosphere. This is powered by a very low running cost, wall-mounted air-exchange unit, which sucks in filtered air, mixes it with the ‘stale’ air and expels it back out, keeping the temperature at roughly 21°C all year round. Again, the type of system used is regulated, meaning best-efficiency- constant performance over time and through winter. The house is south-facing to
allow sunlight to heat it during the winter months and it has
an overhang to shade the south windows and doors from May until September. “Once the build had been
completed, a government technical assessor came and tested airtightness and air circulation before granting passivity certification. Our house was given full certification, which feels like a tribute to our construction company, as many fail. We didn’t achieve the top award as we had opted to have double rather than triple glazing. Regulation also meant we
had to have a pellet burner for those dark, sunless days when we only have our bodies and appliances like fridges to keep the temperature up. Our average annual heating
spend has been €31 with no cooling cost. The air quality is brilliant, cooking smells disappear quickly and the filtered air means that we all sleep really well. “We do, on occasion, turn the
system off and open the doors and windows, though it is frowned upon by the passivity community, it seems. A guy who I follow and who built the first passive house in Quebec more than three years ago has never opened up his house!
WHAT IS A DPE (DIAGNOSTIC DE PERFORMANCE ENERGÉTIQUE)?
In France, the diagnostic de performance énergétique (energy performance diagnostic), or DPE, is a report that provides information on the energy and climate efficiency of a home or building. Trained professionals known as DPE
diagnosticians carry out the process to assess a property’s energy consumption and environmental impact through greenhouse gas emissions. They evaluate various factors, including the building’s insulation, heating systems, ventilation and energy sources. They also take into account the property’s geographical location, energy consumption history and climate conditions. A property will then be issued with a DPE value ranging from A to G. An A rating denotes the most
energy-efficient properties, while a G rating, the most energy-intensive homes. The DPE is used as a tool for buyers and
owners – to inform them about the ‘green value’ of their home, recommend any work that needs to be carried out to improve it and to estimate energy bills. From 1 July 2021, the DPE took on even greater importance, in particular by becoming enforceable. The buyer can now take legal action against the seller and/or the diagnostician if the score given at the time of sale was incorrect. A DPE is also now a legal obligation before
a property can be advertised – whether it’s being sold privately or through an agency. It’s true that the DPE is compulsory, but it’s also of interest to the vendor. The Energy
34 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: May/June 2024
Performance Diagnostic has a dual purpose. It provides a better understanding of the property, with its strengths and weaknesses. But it also gives the seller an opportunity to add value to their home, and is seen as an attractive selling point to potential buyers who are attaching more and more importance to energy performance. On the other hand, if a DPE on a property
comes back with an F or G rating, this is considered an energy ‘sieve’. Vendors with this rating are obliged to commission an energy audit, which shows a detailed report of the state of the property and offers at least two suggestions for specific improvements that could be made and an estimated cost for getting this work done.
Passivity build costs are higher, but payback is maybe only five years – especially with rising energy costs. Would we do it again? Yes, absolutely!”
HOME IS WHERE THE HEAT IS Chloe Williams lives in the Charente and spoke to us
about her comfortable home. “We’ve lived in a solid wood ‘eco’ house since 2014. We moved from a large stone property that was heated by an oil-fired boiler and two very large woodburning stoves. When we were looking for
another property, I remember arriving at this house and being met in the depths of the winter by their young daughter who was running around with bare feet on the underfloor-heated floor tiles. Moving into a very well-
insulated home with a heat exchange unit (which equally cools the floor in the summer), changed our life completely. The temperature is constant throughout the house all year round. With sunny cold days in the winter, it’s easy to be completely unaware of the real exterior temperature until you step outside. As our only source of energy
is electricity, we decided to add 20 solar panels to the property, which supplies virtually all our needs from late spring to early autumn. I also have a fully electric car and the next project is
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