Buying, step by step
The French energy rating, from A to G.
The DPE is on every listing. For a buyer, it says a lot about the bills, the works, and whether the home can be let.
Contents
The diagnostic de performance énergétique rates a home from A, the most efficient, to G. It combines the energy used and the greenhouse gas emitted. Since 2021, it is legally binding on the seller.
What it measures
The DPE estimates the energy used for heating, hot water and cooling, for a standard use of the home, and the greenhouse gas emissions. The worse of the two decides the letter. It also gives an estimate of the yearly energy costs.
What changed in 2026
On 1 January 2026, the DPE started counting electricity with a lower conversion factor, 1.9 instead of 2.3. Many electrically heated homes moved up a class. Existing DPEs remain valid, and owners can download an updated certificate from the ADEME observatory (Hellio, 2026).
If you plan to let the home
Under the Climate and Resilience law, homes rated G can no longer be let on new leases since 2025; the ban extends to F in 2028 and to E in 2034. Rents cannot be raised for homes rated F or G. This calendar has been debated, so check the rules in force before buying to let.
When the seller has a poor rating
For the sale of a house or a building owned by one person, an energy audit is required when the DPE is F or G, and since 2025 when it is E. It proposes a works plan with costs. For a buyer, it is a useful document to negotiate and plan.
The rating and the price
A poor rating is not a reason to refuse an old stone house, but it has a price: the works, the bills, and a smaller pool of buyers when you sell. I always look at the DPE with my buyers, and at the real bills of the last winters. I work in English and French every day. I also speak Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi fluently, Persian (Farsi) very well, and good Greek and Arabic.
Frequently asked questions
What does DPE stand for?
Diagnostic de performance énergétique, the French energy performance rating, from A to G.
Can I let a home rated G?
Not on a new lease since 2025. Homes rated F follow in 2028 and E in 2034, under the current law.
Did the 2026 reform change ratings?
Yes, for electrically heated homes: electricity is counted with a lower conversion factor since 1 January 2026, so many of them improved by one class.
Is the DPE valid forever?
No. It is valid ten years, and the older versions made before July 2021 are no longer valid.