Where we work on the Côte d'Azur
We cover the Alpes-Maritimes coast and the inland villages behind it. This page says exactly which communes that means, so you can tell in about ten seconds whether we are useful to you.
Most contractor directories claim to cover everywhere and then quietly decline anything more than twenty minutes from the depot. We would rather be specific. The five areas below are where the contractors we work with are actually based and working week to week.
Which Alpes-Maritimes communes do we cover?
Nice and the eastern Riviera
Mostly apartments and copropriétés, so most jobs start with the syndic rather than the installer. Parts of the city sit inside protected heritage sectors where anything fixed to a façade needs separate authorisation.
Towns: Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-du-Var
Read more about home energy work in Nice
Antibes and Juan-les-Pins
A mix of detached villas on the Cap and apartment blocks in the town. Villa work is usually simpler to authorise, and larger plots leave room for ground-mounted outdoor units well away from neighbours.
Towns: Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cap d'Antibes, Biot, Villeneuve-Loubet
Read more about home energy work in Antibes
Cannes and the Esterel coast
Heavy copropriété ownership and a lot of seasonal rental, which changes the timing of work. Cannes has its own protected sectors around the Suquet and the Croisette frontage.
Towns: Cannes, Le Cannet, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Théoule-sur-Mer, Mougins coast side
Read more about home energy work in Cannes
Valbonne, Sophia Antipolis and the tech corridor
Newer detached housing with more usable roof space and modern consumer units. The highest concentration of EV charging and solar enquiries we see, which follows the commuter pattern.
Towns: Valbonne, Sophia Antipolis, Roquefort-les-Pins, Le Rouret, Opio, Châteauneuf
Read more about home energy work in Valbonne and Sophia Antipolis
Grasse, Mougins and the inland villages
Altitude changes the calculation. Grasse sits around 350m and the villages above it higher still, so winter heating is a load in its own right.
Towns: Grasse, Mougins, Mouans-Sartoux, Peymeinade, Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey, Cabris, Spéracèdes
Read more about home energy work in Grasse and the inland villages
Why our coverage stops at Mandelieu, Menton and the villages above Grasse
Our practical western edge is Mandelieu and Théoule. Beyond that, into Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël, we have fewer contractors and the ones we do have charge for the drive. Eastwards we thin out after Beaulieu, though Menton enquiries are worth sending. Monaco sits outside our coverage entirely, since it runs its own permitting and utility arrangements.
Inland we go as far as the villages above Grasse. Past Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey the population thins, contractors get scarce and the drive stops making sense for anything smaller than a full system installation.
We say this plainly because a lead we cannot serve helps nobody. If your property sits outside these boundaries, tell us anyway and we will give you a straight answer rather than a quote that never arrives.
Why does the same heat pump cost more in Cabris than on the Nice seafront?
Mostly because the specification changes, and only partly because of the drive. A reversible heat pump on the Nice seafront is specified for a mild winter and a corrosive salt-air environment. The same system in Cabris, four hundred metres up, faces sub-zero spells and needs sizing against manufacturer performance data at low temperatures rather than the headline SCOP figure.
Ownership structure matters as much as geography. An apartment in a Cannes copropriété involves a syndic, a vote and often an architect's opinion before anyone drills into a façade. A detached villa in Roquefort-les-Pins involves a form at the mairie. The difference between them is how long the approvals take before anyone can start. Our guide to installing AC in a French copropriété covers that process in detail.
How do we match your commune to an English-speaking contractor?
We ask what the property is, where it is and what you are trying to solve. If it sits inside the areas above and matches a trade we cover, we pass it to a contractor who works in that commune and speaks English. If it does not, we say so. We do not perform the work ourselves and we are not paid to send you somewhere unsuitable. How we choose those contractors is set out in how we vet our partners.
Common questions about our Alpes-Maritimes coverage
Can we find a contractor for a property in the Var or east of Menton?
Ask anyway. The boundaries above describe where we have contractors working regularly, not a hard limit. Properties in the Var around Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël, or east towards Menton and the Italian border, are worth an enquiry. We will tell you honestly if we cannot cover it rather than pass the job to someone making a two hour round trip.
Can we get more than one quote through you?
Where we have more than one suitable contractor covering your commune and trade, yes, and comparing two written devis is the sensible way to buy work of this size. In trades where we currently have a single contractor in your area, we will say so, and you are free to source a second quote independently.
Why don't we arrange contractors in Monaco?
Monaco has its own permitting regime, its own utility arrangements and a separate contractor market. Contractors we work with do take Monaco jobs privately, but it sits outside what we can usefully help with.
Can we assess a Riviera property before you buy it?
Yes, and it is often the better time to ask. If you are weighing an offer on a villa with an ageing oil boiler, or an apartment with no cooling, knowing roughly what the work involves and what the syndic will allow changes what the property is worth to you.