"A new letter, for summer comfort." On 15 July 2026, during questions to the government at the National Assembly, Housing Minister Vincent Jeanbrun announced — replying to MP Daniel Labaronne — that the DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique — the French Energy Performance Certificate) would gain a new summer comfort letter, to be presented "within a few months". The DPE's A-to-G label grades conventional energy performance, dominated by heating; the announced letter would give a home's behaviour in a heatwave a grade of its own — beyond the existing three-level indicator.
If you own, let out or plan to buy a home, the announcement matters — and so does its legal status: it is a political announcement of 15 July 2026, no text published. Here is what is known, what remains open, and what has already changed for your home this summer.
40.2% of the summer comfort indicators filled in on French DPE reports are rated "insufficient" (OneDpe measurement on 11.2 million certificates, ADEME base, July 2026 — unadjusted data). The announced letter would grade a weakness your DPE has been declaring, discreetly, since 2021.
"A new letter, for summer comfort": what was announced on 15 July 2026
Replying to MP Daniel Labaronne during questions to the government on 15 July 2026, the Housing Minister said the government would present "a new letter, for summer comfort", "within a few months". No supporting document accompanied it: no draft decree or bill, no public consultation, no methodology. And the wording — a new letter, not a correction of the existing A-to-G label — leaves every structural choice open.
⚠️ Warning: the "summer comfort letter" is a political announcement of 15 July 2026, no text published. Until an official text appears, the only summer comfort rule in force on the DPE remains the informative indicator of the decree of 31 March 2021 (annex 9). This article will be updated when a text or consultation is published.
What already exists: a summer comfort indicator declared in every DPE since 2021
Since the DPE reform of 1 July 2021, the decree of 31 March 2021 (annex 9) has required every certificate to display a three-level summer comfort indicator — insufficient, average or good. It is assessed from five characteristics: solar protections on exposed windows, roof insulation, thermal inertia, dual-aspect layout and fixed ceiling fans. It is purely informative: no effect on the A-to-G class, and no letting, selling or renovation obligation attached.
The most recent large-scale picture comes from our own measurement on the full ADEME base (11,183,219 certificates, July 2026, unadjusted data): 40.2% of the indicators actually filled in are rated "insufficient", 43.2% "average", 16.6% "good"; 13.6% of DPE reports carry no indicator at all; and 16.4% of those that do display a verdict inconsistent with the characteristics declared on the certificate itself. The future letter would not create information from scratch: it would give more visibility to a dimension the DPE already assesses.
Summer comfort letter: what we know — and what we still don't
Nothing official exists beyond the announcement itself. Where each open question stands as of 21 July 2026:
| Question | Where things stand (21 July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Is there a draft text? | No — a political announcement of 15 July 2026, no text published, and no public consultation either. |
| Which calculation method? | Not chosen. The only official track: the PNACC 3 (France's third National Climate Change Adaptation Plan) is preparing for 2028 an indicator in localised degree-hours, on the model of the RE2020 (the French environmental regulation for new buildings), separate from the A-to-G rating — study under way at the CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment — the French national building research centre). |
| Will it appear on property listings? | Not today. Bill no. 1735 proposes it, but is stalled in committee — and the tabled text sets no temperature threshold. |
| Any link with renovation rules? | One step actually voted: the Housing Bill adopted by the Senate on 8 July 2026 (first reading) (article 6 bis) makes summer comfort the seventh work category of a comprehensive renovation and brings it into condominium works plans; the National Assembly takes up the text in the autumn. |
| Has any country done it before? | Yes: the Netherlands assess overheating risk with the TOjuli indicator, and Spain's energy performance certificate includes an A-to-G cooling label. |
One tension stands out: the minister's timeline — "within a few months" — is shorter than the PNACC 3 horizon of 2028. Whether the letter will anticipate that indicator, simplify it or follow its own path, no published document says.
What already changes for your home — without waiting for the letter
Two things are concrete as of this summer. First, since 18 July 2026, fixed reversible air conditioning qualifies for the reduced 5.5% VAT rate (order of 13 July 2026 — article 278-0 bis A of the French General Tax Code, from article 92 of the 2026 Finance Act). The conditions are strict: A++ single-split or A+ multi-split units — in both SCOP and SEER efficiency ratings — up to 12 kW, in a dwelling completed more than two years ago, with fixed installation by a professional. Air conditioning itself remains excluded from MaPrimeRénov' (the French national energy renovation grant).
Second, the subsidy map for passive summer works remains narrow. In mainland France, MaPrimeRénov' funds fixed ceiling fans and external solar protections only within the guided comprehensive-renovation pathway ("parcours accompagné"); a standalone measure exists in the French overseas departments for solar protections. There is no residential "summer comfort" scheme among the CEE (Certificats d'Économies d'Énergie — Energy Saving Certificates). To cost roof insulation or solar protections and their impact on your certificate, the OneDpe renovation works simulator tests measures item by item.
Check what your DPE already declares about summer comfort
No need to wait for the letter: a summer comfort indicator is already declared in your DPE if issued after 1 July 2021. From your 13-character DPE number, our tool analyses your full certificate — including the parameters that drive this indicator: building inertia, solar protections, dual-aspect layout, ceiling fans — and flags inconsistencies and missing data.
To understand the indicator in depth: our complete guide to the DPE summer comfort indicator.
Conclusion
The "summer comfort letter" remains, for now, a political announcement of 15 July 2026, no text published. What is real today: an indicator declared in every DPE since 1 July 2021, 5.5% VAT on fixed reversible air conditioning since 18 July 2026, and a reinforced degree-hours indicator prepared for 2028, separate from the A-to-G rating. While the text is awaited, check what your certificate declares with the OneDpe DPE verification tool. Our own 2026 summer comfort barometer measures 40.2% of "insufficient" indicators across 11.2 million DPEs, and maps the real risk town by town.
