France social housing faces costly shift from gas

France's social housing landlords are trying to cut reliance on natural gas without pushing up tenants' bills, as a government target requires gas use to end by 2050.

Roughly two million households in social housing would need alternative energy supplies. The shift is tied to climate goals under the 2015 Paris agreement and to France's exposure to imported gas prices.

In eastern Paris, energy transition company Elax Energie is working on a project for 400 social housing units. The plan would replace three old gas boilers with an electric system for water heating, while the building's heating would still use gas.

Thomas Tirtiaux, head of Elax Energie, said the hybrid system was intended to allow managers to choose the cheapest energy at the right time. Simon Molesin, a manager at the social landlord RIVP, said switching both heating and hot water fully to electricity would have cost more and raised tenants' bills.

Other social landlords described a similar search for mixed systems. Frank Nicol of Val Touraine Habitat said full electrification was not the solution for tenants' charges. Remi Poujardieu of Gironde Habitat said he favoured an energy mix, including solar power used directly on site.

Landlords also said the current system leaves some low-income tenants exposed to high bills. Molesin said tenants with individual electric heating face the highest energy costs and often do not turn their radiators on.