The measure, which was to come into force on January 1, was to make the energy audit mandatory in the event of the sale of a house classified G or F - the famous energy strainers - after an energy performance diagnosis (DPE).

This audit aims to inform the seller and the buyer of the work to be planned as part of an energy renovation, one of the key points of the ministry's policy on ecological transition.

Auditors and the Higher Council for Construction and Energy Efficiency had requested that its entry into force be postponed due to a lack of trained staff.

"The listeners were afraid of not meeting the demand and thus delaying sales", told AFP a source of the entourage of the Minister Delegate in charge of Housing, Emmanuelle Wargon, confirming information from Echoes.

"Rather than getting into an impasse, with an insufficient number of trained auditors, we proposed to postpone the entry into force of the obligation. They were asking for a year, but it is too much," he said. she added, specifying that the deadlines were under discussion.

This postponement will make it possible, according to the ministry, in particular to establish consistency between the audit in the event of the sale of energy strainers and the new DPE, the final version of which was only put in place from November, after a few twists and turns linked to anomalies in the calculation method.

The DPE makes it possible to detect very energy-intensive housing, which should be progressively banned for renting from 2025.

Its edition was suspended at the end of September due to "abnormal results" for certain types of housing.

"The feedback from the field since November is good, we will continue to monitor the file," said the source to the ministry.

© 2021 AFP