This device will soon be compulsory in all accommodation. But good news: it should save you money.
At a time when gas and electricity prices continue to rise, many French people are looking for a way to reduce their bill. However, a well-known device makes it possible to reduce its consumption, or in any case to adapt it to the needs of each home. And this device will soon be mandatory. In France, households must in fact install an automatic temperature regulation system on their heating installation in the coming months if this is not yet the case.
You will have understood, it is of course the thermostat. The best known, namely the electric thermostat, allows you to regulate the temperature of your home according to needs and the outside climate. In recent years, the trend has been towards a new, less energy-consuming form: the connected thermostat. But concretely, what does it bring that is different?
As its name suggests, the “connected” character of the thermostat indicates that the device is connected to an internet connection using a wireless network (internet or Bluetooth). Therefore, you can control and regulate the temperature in your home, manually from the screen, or remotely via an application.
Applications on smartphones, tablets or computers provide real-time access to consumption information. Coupled with the thermostat, they allow you to program in advance a drop or increase in temperature during the day, at weekends and even for several days. Another advantage: you can change your settings at any time remotely, directly from the app, provided you have a Wi-Fi connection.
A decree published on June 8, 2023 specifies that all housing, whether new or existing, must be equipped with a temperature regulation system from January 1, 2027. It does not necessarily imply the installation of a connected thermostat, but a device with at least basic temperature programming services. Aid, called “Coup de Pouce Thermostat”, aims to support the French in this process, with a sum dedicated to the installation of a connected thermostat between December 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024. It can go up to 80% of the price of the device and varies depending on the heated surface in the home. Therefore, the larger the surface area, the more assistance will be provided. You can find all this information from the website of the public service.
The purchase price of a connected thermostat varies between 60 and 650 euros, but it can reach 1000 euros including the installation charge which is between 150 and 300 euros. State aid should therefore not be neglected. No more than the savings made. According to calculations by Ademe, the ecological transition agency, a connected thermostat could reduce heating consumption by up to 15%. In a house heated with electricity, for example, you can save up to 270 euros on a bill of 1,800 euros per year.