€1 insulation offer is real but be wary
IF you own a home in France, it is highly likely that you will have received promotional leaflets, emails or cold calls from companies offering home insulation for €1.
It sounds like a scam but this is a genuine offer. Be aware, however, that there can be hidden costs – and rogue workers.
Official advice is not to reply to anyone who claims to be carrying out an official survey on environmental work in homes or to represent the state.
The scheme is backed by the state but all work is carried out by independent artisans.
No one official will email or call you about this offer.
You can get independent, free advice from one of the many ADIL offices. They are regional centres for Agence Nationale pour l’Information sur le Logement (ANIL), a public body that advises on environmental work in homes.
Alain Dehaudt, director of ADIL in the Oise, explained to Connexion that insulation for €1 is an energy-saving scheme funded by energy providers, who are obliged to put money into reducing the pollution their industry causes.
They pay the bill and the individual pays a token €1.
However, Mr Dehaudt warned that although it is open to anyone regardless of income, it is only available in a restricted set of circumstances:
He said: “The offer is for attic spaces that are not used, even for storage, as it is the floor which will be insulated.
“You can also use it for basement areas where the ceiling will be insulated, so you can use it as a garage, for example.
“The insulation used will be blown-in flakes of glass fibre or rockwool.”
To take up the offer, contact a company listed on the public service website faire.fr and it will send a technician.
Mr Dehaudt said: “You will have to get rid of existing, old insulation, at your own cost.
“If a trap door to the attic has to be removed for access, that could cost around €40 and the company will charge €50 to protect a chimney flue.
“A plastic film on the flakes, called a pare-vapeur, designed to prevent mould, can be €250 for an 80m² roof space, if you buy the film and apply it yourself.
However, it will still be cheaper than buying and putting in the insulation yourself.”
You can combine this offer with other grants and tax credits available to make your property more energy-efficient.
