CEE: How to Get the Energy Savings Grant

Energy Savings Certificates (CEE) help fund part of a home’s energy renovation work, through a contribution paid directly by energy suppliers. This scheme, better known as the CEE grant or energy grant, covers both insulation work and heating system replacement, provided certain eligibility conditions are met. This article explains how the scheme works, who qualifies, how the grant amount is set, the steps to apply, and how it can be combined with other renovation grants.

Unlike a public grant funded through taxes, the CEE grant is paid directly by energy suppliers, as part of a regulatory obligation that applies specifically to them. This is why the amount offered can vary significantly from one supplier to another for the same project, and why comparing offers before committing remains a decisive step.

What is the Energy Savings Certificate (CEE) scheme

The CEE scheme is built on an obligation that the State places on energy suppliers, who must encourage their customers to reduce their consumption. Created by the POPE law of 13 July 2005 and rolled out the following year, it requires energy suppliers, known as the obligated parties, to reach a set volume of energy savings over a multi-year period, under penalty of financial sanctions paid to the State.

To meet this obligation, suppliers fund energy-saving work for households, businesses and local authorities, in exchange for certificates they must then account for to the authorities. Since 1 January 2026, the scheme has entered its sixth period, running until 31 December 2030, which raises national targets for reducing energy consumption.

In practice, for a household preparing renovation work, this translates into a grant, known as the CEE grant or energy grant, paid directly by an energy supplier or one of its partners.

The unit used to measure the energy savings generated by a project is expressed in cumac kilowatt-hours, a figure that accounts for both the volume saved and the expected lifespan of the equipment installed. The more cumac kilowatt-hours an operation generates, the more value it represents for the energy supplier funding it, which is why some types of work are valued more highly than others depending on the period.

Who can get the CEE grant for their renovation work

The CEE grant is open to owner-occupiers, landlords and tenants carrying out work in a home. The property must have been completed more than two years ago, and the grant applies to both a main residence and a second home. Unlike some other schemes, there is no income condition to qualify.

The household’s income level is not neutral, however: it directly affects the grant amount, which increases for low-income and very low-income households. Some types of work also qualify for enhanced grants, such as the “coup de pouce chauffage” heating bonus, reserved for households below certain income thresholds.

The scheme also applies to both single-family homes and flats in a shared building. In the latter case, work on shared areas, such as insulating a flat roof or replacing a collective boiler, can qualify for a collective CEE grant, approved at a general meeting and managed by the building’s managing agent on behalf of all co-owners. Work carried out inside private units remains tied to each occupant’s individual application.

What renovation work is eligible for the CEE scheme

CEE funding is limited to energy renovation work listed in an official catalogue known as standardized operation sheets. Each sheet sets out the technical criteria to meet, such as minimum equipment performance, for the project to qualify for the grant. In the residential sector, close to 60 types of work are covered: insulation of walls, roofs and windows, installing or replacing a heating system, thermal regulation, domestic hot water production, or ventilation.

Attic insulation is among the operations most frequently funded through the CEE scheme, alongside replacing a boiler or installing a heat pump. Replacing equipment with renewable energy systems, such as a solar installation carried out by a solar installer with RGE certification, can also qualify depending on the relevant sheet. A contractor who does not meet the technical criteria of the sheet puts the application at risk of being rejected, regardless of the cost of the work.

Among the most common operations are:

• insulation of attics, walls (from the inside or outside), and ground floors;
• replacing windows or French windows with higher-performance frames;
• installing a heat pump, a biomass boiler, or a heating regulation system;
• installing mechanical ventilation, to accompany a recently insulated home;
• producing domestic hot water from a renewable energy source.

A single renovation project can combine several of these operations into a package of works, allowing several grants to be combined for each funded item, within the limit of one grant per type of operation.

How to get the CEE grant: the steps to follow

Getting a CEE grant follows a strict order, which must be respected for the application not to be rejected by the energy supplier.

Compare offers and accept the supplier’s proposal

Before signing any quote, a household must choose an energy supplier or one of its partners offering a CEE grant, with no obligation to already be a customer of that supplier for electricity or gas. Comparing several offers helps identify the one offering the best amount for the type of work planned. The supplier’s offer or agreement must be accepted before signing the quote with the contractor, otherwise the grant is lost.

Have the work carried out by an RGE-certified contractor

The work must be entrusted to an RGE-certified contractor (Reconnu Garant de l’Environnement), the only certification recognized by the CEE scheme. The signed quote must specify the exact nature of the work, the brands and references of the equipment, and its performance, to match the standardized operation sheet precisely. To get several comparable quotes, the ranking of renovation brokers presents the main networks.

Submit the application and receive the grant

Once the work is finished, the full application (signed quote, invoices, sworn statement and proof of equipment performance) is sent to the chosen energy supplier. The grant is paid once the application is approved, as a bank transfer, a cheque, a deduction from a bill, or vouchers depending on the supplier. Payment can take several months after the work is completed, while the application is being processed.

An incomplete or non-compliant application, for example a quote accepted after it was signed, is grounds for the grant to be refused. Keeping a copy of every document exchanged with the supplier and the contractor, from the first quote to the final certificate, makes it easier to respond quickly if additional documents are requested during processing.

How much is the CEE grant worth

The amount of the CEE grant is not set by the State but freely determined by each energy supplier, which explains the differences seen from one offer to another for the same project. It depends on the type of work carried out, the energy savings generated, the household’s income level, and the property’s location.

Comparing several suppliers, using the simulators available on their websites, remains the most effective way to identify the best offer before committing. Only one CEE grant can be awarded per type of work, but several separate grants remain possible for different renovation items carried out in the same home.

Amounts can vary significantly between suppliers for an identical project, with some offering high CEE grants to attract new customers, without this implying any obligation to switch energy contracts. Requesting several simulations before signing any commitment is the only way to check which offer is genuinely the most attractive, taking into account both the amount offered and the conditions attached.

Combining the CEE grant with other energy renovation aid

The CEE grant can be combined with several other energy renovation support schemes, which significantly reduces the amount a household has to pay out of pocket. It is compatible with the zero-interest eco-loan and with MaPrimeRenov in its per-measure track, as well as certain local grants, such as the Fonds Air grant for installing an efficient wood heating system.

Low-income households should also check their eligibility for the energy voucher, a separate grant used to pay electricity, gas or heating bills, which can no longer fund renovation work since 2024. An online simulator can estimate all the aid available before starting a renovation project.

The zero-interest eco-loan funds, interest-free, the remaining cost of an energy renovation project once grants have been deducted, up to a ceiling that depends on how many types of work are funded. MaPrimeRenov, in its per-measure track, pays an amount calculated according to household income for a single type of work, such as insulating a wall or replacing a heating system. Planning these schemes together from the start of a project, rather than applying for them one after another, avoids having to rework the financing plan partway through the renovation.

How the CEE scheme works for energy suppliers

The CEE scheme relies on players known as the obligated parties: suppliers of electricity, gas, district heating or cooling, as well as domestic heating oil sellers and certain fuel distributors, once they exceed a minimum sales threshold. Each obligated party must account for a volume of certificates matching its targets for the current period, under penalty of financial sanctions.

To meet these targets, obligated parties can fund work directly for households, buy certificates on a specialized market, or go through a CEE delegate that pools operations from several players. This mechanism, designed to place part of the cost of the energy transition on energy suppliers rather than solely on the State budget, is what ultimately funds the grant paid to households.

A CEE delegate acts as an intermediary between the obligated parties and building professionals: it collects the files for work carried out by the RGE contractors in its network, converts them into certificates for energy suppliers, then passes on part of the funding as a grant to the household concerned. This is why the same contractor may offer different grant amounts for a similar project, depending on which delegate it works with.