Like a sword of Damocles above the head. This winter, the energy bill is likely to be very, very heavy for French households. According to figures from Selectra, more than 60% of a household’s energy bill is for heating. In a context of galloping inflation, citizens are invited to consume smartly both to reduce their bills, but also to avoid gas and electricity supply difficulties this winter.
To help individuals adopt the right gestures, the négaWatt association has compiled some daily advice in a report. Among them :
Faced with soaring energy prices, many French people with a wood stove or a fireplace fall back on firewood in order to be able to spend the winter warm. Problem, in the face of strong demand, the price of firewood also continues to climb. According to Midi Libre, the price of a cubic meter of firewood fluctuates between 50 and 120 euros, or an average of 0.04 euros/kWh. It has increased by 20 euros compared to its price for the month of June.
The sharp increase in demand risks making this raw material scarce and causing a shortage. “We have a planned stock, but if it continues like this… For the moment, we are going until Christmas, after that we don’t know”, confided to France 3 Thomas Mansour, employee of Bois de Chauff 95. “We still has stock, but at best it will go until the end of December, or even February 2023. It’s madness. They all want wood”, adds to the Parisian Nicolas Petit, deputy to the wood manager of the Office National Forestry Office (ONF) for Hauts-de-France. According to him, “this situation is really unprecedented” with a management that is now “just in time”. Faced with a tight market and in a context of rising prices, firewood resale scams are on the increase as winter approaches. So be careful and favor direct contact because many mirror sites of real companies are created to scam you.
To avoid skyrocketing electricity bills, many individuals prefer to burn the wood in their fireplaces. According to figures relayed by Maison
For example, cutting, cutting down or attempting to cut down a protected tree exposes you to a fine of 150,000 euros and three years in prison. In addition, cutting down a tree without the prior authorization of your town hall can cost you 1200 to 6000 euros in fines per square meter of built surface.
