# Riviera Home Experts
> English-speaking home specialists on the Côte d'Azur. We connect expat and non-resident property owners with vetted, RGE-certified contractors for heating, cooling, solar, electrical, insulation, renovation and outdoor work in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var (departments 06 and 83).

## About
- /about/: who we are and how we work
- /for-contractors/: information for tradespeople and contractors

## Heating
- /heating/: heat pumps, reversible systems, hybrid systems, hot water, gas, pellet, oil
- /heating/heat-pumps/: air-source and ground-source heat pumps, costs and MaPrimeRénov' eligibility
- /heating/reversible-heat-pumps/: single split from 2,500 EUR, multi-split from 4,000 EUR, COP 3.5-4 in winter
- /heating/hybrid-systems/: PAC hybride from 10,000 EUR, heat pump with gas or solar backup
- /heating/hot-water-systems/: heat pump water heaters from 2,000 EUR, solar thermal from 4,000 EUR installed
- /heating/gas-heating/: gas boiler servicing and replacement, and the annual entretien required by law
- /heating/wood-pellet/: pellet boilers and stoves, RGE Qualibois, CEE funding after biomass left MaPrimeRénov'
- /heating/oil-heating/: oil boiler servicing and switching from oil to a heat pump

## Cooling and ventilation
- /cooling/: split AC, multi-split AC, central ventilation (VMC), decentralised ventilation
- /cooling/split-ac/: split AC from 1,800 EUR, sizing, syndic rules, what the devis should cover
- /cooling/multi-split-ac/: 2 to 5 zone systems for villas and larger apartments
- /cooling/central-ventilation/: VMC simple flux from 600 EUR, double flux from 3,500 EUR
- /cooling/decentralised-ventilation/: room-by-room heat recovery from 400 EUR where ductwork will not fit
- /cooling/air-filtration/: HEPA units and VMC filtration for Saharan dust, wildfire smoke and pollen

## Insulation and windows
- /insulation-and-windows/: roof and wall insulation, windows and shutters, roofing, facade renovation, what MaPrimeRénov' and TVA 5.5% cover

## Solar
- /solar/: solar PV panels, battery storage, solar water heating, EV solar charging
- /solar/solar-panels/: 1,200-1,400 kWh per kWp per year on the coast, autoconsommation, RGE QualiPV
- /solar/battery-storage/: 5-10 kWh systems, grid export rules, second-home considerations
- /solar/solar-water-heating/: CESI covers 65-80% of annual hot water here, MaPrimeRénov' eligible
- /solar/ev-solar-charging/: charging an EV from your own panels, 4 kWp produces about 5,500 kWh/year

## Electrical
- /electrical/: general electrical, smart home, EV charging, home automation, heat pump wiring
- /electrical/general-electrical/: rewires 10,000-18,000 EUR, tableau upgrades from 1,000 EUR, CONSUEL
- /electrical/ev-charging/: 7 kW wallbox 1,200-1,800 EUR installed, IRVE certification, TVA at 5.5%
- /electrical/electrical-for-heat-pumps/: dedicated circuits from 300 EUR, board upgrades from 1,000 EUR
- /electrical/carports/: solar carports, a 6 kWp carport produces 8,000-9,000 kWh/year here
- /electrical/smart-home/: basic setups from 500 EUR, full KNX from 15,000 EUR
- /electrical/home-automation/: heating, shutters and security controlled from abroad, from 200 EUR

## Renovation
- /home-renovation/: kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing and whole-house renovation, TVA 10%, dommage-ouvrage, décennale, what a devis must show

## Outdoor and pools
- /outdoor-and-pools/: swimming pools, gardens and landscaping, terraces, gates, permits from 10 m², NF P90 safety norm, 90-day tax declaration

## Areas we cover
- /areas-we-cover/: the Alpes-Maritimes communes we serve, and where our coverage stops
- /nice/: Nice, syndic approval, UNESCO façade rules, and what pre-war buildings can take
- /antibes/: Antibes, Juan-les-Pins and Cap d'Antibes, villa plots, salt corrosion, empty second homes
- /cannes/: Cannes, Le Cannet and Mandelieu, Le Suquet heritage rules and the rental season calendar
- /valbonne/: Valbonne and Sophia Antipolis, modern villas with roof space and the highest EV demand
- /grasse/: Grasse, Mougins and the arrière-pays, where altitude makes winter a real heating load

## Guides and resources
- /resources/: index of all guides and cost breakdowns
- /resources/tva-on-renovation-work/: 10% improvement works, 5.5% energy works, 20% pools and extensions, the certification on the devis
- /resources/maprimerenov-explained/: MaPrimeRénov' grant, eligibility, process, what to expect
- /resources/maprimerenov-expat-guide/: practical MaPrimeRénov' guidance for non-French speakers
- /resources/cee-grants-explained/: CEE energy subsidies available to all property owners
- /resources/local-grants-alpes-maritimes/: Departement 06 and commune grants, up to 25,400 EUR, and what a second home can claim
- /resources/improve-dpe-rating/: how to improve a DPE energy rating on a Riviera property
- /resources/french-property-diagnostic-report/: reading a French DDT diagnostic report in English
- /resources/second-home-energy-guide/: energy decisions for second-home owners on the Côte d'Azur
- /resources/winterize-cote-dazur-second-home/: preparing a French second home for a long absence
- /resources/heat-pump-costs-cote-dazur/: heat pump installation costs in the Alpes-Maritimes
- /resources/ac-installation-costs/: AC installation costs on the Côte d'Azur
- /resources/solar-panel-costs/: solar panel installation costs in PACA, by system size
- /resources/battery-storage-costs/: home battery storage costs in southern France
- /resources/battery-storage-roi/: ROI analysis for home batteries in PACA
- /resources/ev-charging-costs/: home EV charger costs in France, by charge speed, with the extras that add to a devis
- /resources/gas-vs-heat-pump-south-france/: gas boiler vs heat pump comparison for southern France
- /resources/switch-from-gas-heat-pump/: switching from gas to a heat pump on the Côte d'Azur
- /resources/reversible-heat-pump-vs-ac/: reversible heat pump vs standard AC
- /resources/heat-pump-brands-france/: heat pump brand comparison for the Mediterranean climate
- /resources/what-permits-do-you-need/: planning permission for home energy work in France
- /resources/ac-copropriete-guide/: AC installation approval process in a French copropriété
- /resources/what-is-rge-certification/: RGE contractor certification explained
- /resources/how-we-vet-partners/: how we verify and select our partner contractors

## Local service guides
- /resources/ac-installation-valbonne/: AC installation in Valbonne and Sophia Antipolis
- /resources/heat-pumps-grasse/: heat pumps in Grasse and the arrière-pays
- /resources/solar-mougins/: solar panels in Mougins and the Cannes plateau
- /resources/electrical-sophia-antipolis/: electrical contractors in Sophia Antipolis

## Glossary of French home energy terms
- /glossary/: index of all terms
- /glossary/maprimerenov/: MaPrimeRénov' grant
- /glossary/anah/: ANAH, the agency that administers MaPrimeRénov' and other housing grants
- /glossary/cee/: CEE energy subsidies
- /glossary/eco-ptz/: Éco-PTZ zero-interest renovation loan
- /glossary/dpe/: DPE energy performance certificate
- /glossary/audit-energetique/: audit énergétique (detailed energy assessment)
- /glossary/devis/: what a French devis must contain and what signing one commits you to
- /glossary/rge-certification/: RGE contractor qualification
- /glossary/garantie-decennale/: 10-year builders liability insurance
- /glossary/pac-pompe-a-chaleur/: heat pumps (PAC)
- /glossary/pac-hybride/: heat pump paired with a gas boiler under one controller
- /glossary/cop-scop/: COP and SCOP heat pump efficiency ratings
- /glossary/fluide-frigorigene/: refrigerants in heat pumps and AC
- /glossary/vmc/: VMC ventilation systems
- /glossary/auto-consommation/: solar self-consumption, vente totale vs vente du surplus
- /glossary/onduleur/: solar inverters, string vs microinverter vs hybrid
- /glossary/enedis/: Enedis grid operator
- /glossary/consuel/: CONSUEL electrical safety certificate
- /glossary/nf-c-15-100/: the French electrical standard behind every CONSUEL certificate
- /glossary/irve/: IRVE EV charger certification
- /glossary/advenir/: ADVENIR EV charging subsidy
- /glossary/declaration-prealable/: déclaration préalable de travaux, the French planning declaration for facade, roof, window, pool (10-100 m²) and extension (up to 40 m²) work as well as AC, heat pump and solar installations; filing, delays, ABF perimeters
- /glossary/permis-de-construire/: full planning permission, 150 m² architect threshold, 2-month instruction
- /glossary/taxe-d-amenagement/: taxe d'aménagement, the one-off tax on construction, extensions and pools; 2026 pool forfait 251 EUR/m², communal rate 1-5%, Alpes-Maritimes departmental rate 2.5%
- /glossary/abf-batiments-de-france/: ABF (Architecte des Bâtiments de France) heritage review, the 500 m perimeter, the extra month, and how it affects heat pump, AC and solar work
- /glossary/dommage-ouvrage/: dommage-ouvrage insurance, the owner-side policy to buy before structural works, roughly 1-4% of works cost, what happens at resale
- /glossary/maitre-d-oeuvre/: maître d'oeuvre, the project manager role on a French renovation, and when an architect is compulsory

## Contact
- /contact/: request quotes or contractor referrals

## Legal
- /privacy/: privacy policy and GDPR information
- /legal-notice/: legal notice (impressum)