Audit énergétique: energy audit | Riviera Home Experts

What is an audit énergétique?

An audit énergétique is a detailed energy assessment of a home, carried out by a qualified professional. Where the DPE gives a letter rating, the audit gives a renovation plan. It finds where the house loses heat, sets out which works would fix it and in what order, and shows the rating and running costs you'd end up with. It's compulsory when selling a house rated E, F or G. It's also required for MaPrimeRénov' rénovation d'ampleur, the grant route for major renovations covering several measures.

What is the difference between an audit énergétique and a DPE?

The DPE rates the home from A to G on estimated energy use and CO2 emissions. It's a snapshot, needed for every sale and rental listing, and a diagnostiqueur usually completes it in a few hours.

The audit starts from the same data and goes much further. It takes a longer visit and a detailed model of the building, and it sets out at least two renovation scenarios. Each one shows the works involved, their estimated cost, the energy saved and the rating the home would reach. One professional can produce both documents at the same visit, but they're separate documents.

When is an audit énergétique required?

Selling a house rated E, F or G: required since 1 April 2023 for F and G, and since 1 January 2025 for E. D-rated homes follow from 1 January 2034. The rule covers houses and buildings with a single owner, so a flat in a copropriété (the building's co-ownership) isn't concerned. The audit goes in the dossier de diagnostic technique the buyer receives, and it's valid for 5 years.
MaPrimeRénov' rénovation d'ampleur (formerly parcours accompagné): the audit comes before any work. It confirms the starting rating (E, F or G) and sets the target of at least two classes better. This route, like all of MaPrimeRénov', is open only to a principal residence.

Outside these two cases no audit is required. It's still worth commissioning one before a big renovation, because it tells you far more than the DPE about which works will make the most difference.

What does an audit énergétique include?

The home's current energy performance, on the same method as the DPE
Where the heat goes: walls, windows, roof, floors and the joins between them
Two renovation scenarios that reach class B: one in stages, one in a single programme of work
For each scenario: estimated cost, energy savings and the rating after the work
The grants available for the recommended works

The audit doesn't name products or contractors. The costs in it are estimates, so get real quotes before you budget on them.

What sets the price of an energy audit, and who pays?

Auditors set their own prices, and a large or complicated property costs more. Ask two or three qualified auditors for a written price. For a sale, the seller pays. On a rénovation d'ampleur, the audit is carried out through Mon Accompagnateur Rénov', whose fee MaPrimeRénov' partly covers.

Who can carry out an audit énergétique?

Being able to do a DPE doesn't qualify someone to do an audit. It must be done by one of these:

a qualified energy auditor: an architect, engineer or diagnostiqueur with an additional audit certification
a Mon Accompagnateur Rénov' (MAR), for a rénovation d'ampleur project

The official France Rénov' directory lists qualified auditors by postcode, alongside RGE (the state's approved-installer label) contractors for the work itself, if you want to confirm one. Before you commission anyone, ask them to confirm in writing that their certification covers residential energy audits.

What does Mon Accompagnateur Rénov' do in a renovation?

Mon Accompagnateur Rénov' (MAR) is a state-approved renovation adviser, and using one is compulsory for rénovation d'ampleur. The MAR carries out or commissions the audit, helps you choose contractors, checks the work is done as specified and handles the grant application. MaPrimeRénov' pays a larger share of the MAR's fee for lower-income households, and higher-income households pay more of it themselves.

Energy audit (audit énergétique): what it is and when you need one