France launches heat-pump leasing scheme to aid low-income households

France's energy ministry introduced a comprehensive leasing model for reversible heat pumps, targeting modest households that face high gas and oil bills. Minister Maud Bregeon explained that the package includes installation, financing, and ongoing maintenance, with no initial cash outlay required. For the first three years, participants will pay a total electricity and heating bill that does not surpass their former gas costs, and once the equipment is fully paid off, heating expenses are projected to drop by about fifty percent.

The initiative is financed through energy-saving certificates, a mechanism some far-left and far-right parties have called for eliminating. Additionally, the government plans to advance the distribution of the energy voucher in January to further ease household energy burdens.