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Housing: in the Creuse, the problem of thermal strainers
In the department, the countless stone houses are very poorly insulated. To prevent residents from leaving the area, more and more municipalities are taking charge of thermal renovations. – (France 2)
In the department, the countless stone houses are very poorly insulated. To prevent residents from leaving the area, more and more municipalities are taking charge of thermal renovations.
It is a rural department which has kept its face of yesteryear. On the roads of Creuse, stone houses are everywhere. The charm of the area, but also its drawback. The Creuse has the highest rate of thermal strainers in France, 35%. In a hamlet, Dora and her husband bought a house two years ago. But for heating, only the wood stove in the living room works, the oil heating is turned off most of the time. This mother has to put on her coat to go up to the rooms. “I add several blankets, fleece blankets, hot water bottles. The goal is to consume as little as possible“, she explains. On the advice of a specialist, the family will insulate the attic and walls with earth and hemp.
Preventing the exodus
In Creuse, municipalities are increasingly taking charge of these renovations. Because here, incomes are, on average, lower than in the rest of France. In Jarnages, a town of 500 inhabitants, the town hall and the community of towns have bought several abandoned buildings in the town centre. All have been renovated and insulated to lower electricity bills for new tenants. Spread over ten years, this work cost more than 2 million euros. The price, according to the mayor, to keep its inhabitants. Since the 1970s, Creuse has continued to lose inhabitants. Transforming your home, one of the keys to reversing the trend.
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