Is the government really thinking about tackling open fireplaces?

“I come out of a fireplace dealer and I learn a good news: the Ministry of Ecology is considering making a house equipped with an open fireplace uninsurable, from January 1, 2025.” The outraged message, posted by a Var resident on X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday January 2, has been seen more than 220,000 times. It was the sales representative at the store, where he had gone to pick up a spare part for his fireplace, who assured him that she had this information through her professional network, he explains to Le Figaro. “She seemed serious to me!”, he assures.

However, the Ministry of Ecological Transition is categorical: it has “never considered making a house equipped with an open fireplace uninsurable”. Same story with France Assureurs, the federation of insurers, which says it has “no knowledge of this project”. As it stands, the only obligation imposed on the owners of these chimneys is an annual chimney sweep carried out by a professional, to limit the risk of fire.

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Open fireplaces, more polluting than other methods of wood heating and with a significant loss of energy - 85% according to Ademe -, are however, locally, already in the sights of the authorities. In the metropolis of Lyon, their use has been completely prohibited since April, by prefectural decree. In Paris, they are prohibited if they constitute the main heating of the home, but remain authorized for additional heating.

Measures especially taken in cities, where pollution generated by wood heating (62% of annual fine PM2.5 particle emissions in France according to Ademe) needs to be regulated.