Letters: France's energy audit system does not work for stone properties

To the Editor,

I read with interest your online news story ‘Many older French properties hit by energy audit’.

As it currently stands, it is ridiculous to apply the energy audit you mention (the diagnostic de performance énergétique or DPE) to traditional old stone buildings. 

The DPE does not take account of the many unique characteristics, thermal and otherwise, that are usually found in such old buildings (breathability of the building fabric, thermal inertia, etc.)

As you point out, the DPE is either pushing owners of old buildings not to sell, or to undertake expensive modifications which often have negligible benefit in terms of the actual thermal performance, or have a detrimental effect on the building.

Organisations such as MPF (Maisons Paysannes de France – maisons-paysannes.org/) have long argued that the changes to the DPE unfairly penalise traditional old buildings without taking into account their special characteristics. 

Many of the new criteria in the DPE have been pushed for by powerful building industry lobby groups who obviously have a (usually expensive) product to sell, mostly suited to newer buildings.

MPF and other similar organisations advocate and lobby for changes to the DPE to more accurately take into account the nature and intrinsic thermal properties of traditional stone buildings. 

MPF also provides a wealth of impartial, practical information on how to correctly and sensitively improve the thermal characteristics of such old buildings.

I would urge any of your readers who own one of France's numerous beautiful old stone buildings, or anyone else who is interested in preserving France's wonderful patrimony and heritage, to join MPF (a not-for-profit run mainly by passionate volunteers) and support them in their lobbying efforts.

Kai WEBER, Drôme

Read more: Many French property energy efficiency ratings now out of date – How to check yours

To the Editor,

The problem with surveys is not with the property, but the lack of training and understanding of the difference between urban property, possibly built in the last 50 years and the rural property built any time in the last 400 years.

No matter what the owner has done to update the property (double glazing, insulation, install modern heating), these untrained ‘experts’ are not qualified surveyors or engineers, and so do not have the knowledge to assess the property. 

All they use is a tick sheet and feed the information into a computer.

If the walls are 50cm thick, they will keep out the cold better than a 15cm terracotta block lined with polystyrene and plasterboard, for instance.

They have no understanding of the thermal properties of different materials, or the benefit of a double-skinned wall of stone. 

If it does not have 100mm polystyrene blocks everywhere it is not good for the environment.

In the event of a fire, polystyrene gives off poisonous gas. What about the environment then?

To get a true indication of a property it needs a proper survey and these inspectors are not qualified to carry that out.

Retired UK surveyor, name withheld, by email

Do you own an older property in France? What do you make of the DPE review system? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com