CEE bonus for a heat pump: the official calculation
Grant sites show an “up to” amount. Here is the volume the official sheet sets for your house, and what it is worth on the market.
The CEE bonus for an air-to-water heat pump is calculated in cumulative discounted kilowatt-hours (kWh cumac), using standardised operation sheet BAR-TH-171 published in the French Official Journal. For a house the volume is 90,900 kWh cumac if the heat pump’s seasonal efficiency is between 111% and 140%, and 109,200 above that; it is multiplied by 0.5 below 70 m² heated, 0.7 from 70 to 89 m², then by 1.2 in climate zone H1, 1 in H2 and 0.7 in H3. The Coup de pouce Chauffage multiplies the whole by 5 when the heat pump replaces a coal, oil or gas boiler in a main residence. A firm buys these certificates at the price it chooses; at the Emmy registry’s average price in September 2026, €8.82 per cumac megawatt-hour, a 100 m² house in zone H2 with the Coup de pouce is worth €4,009.
My CEE bonus in kWh cumac and euros
Market value of the bonus
€4,009
| Volume | 454,500 kWh cumac |
| Emmy average price | 8.82 €/MWh |
| Coup de pouce (× 5) | yes |
Etas 111 to 140%. The real amount is the one the firm writes down before you sign.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
What sheet BAR-TH-171 says
Sheet BAR-TH-171, in version A82.5 published in the Official Journal of 30 May 2026, covers installing an air-to-water heat pump in an existing home. It sets technical conditions: a seasonal space heating efficiency (Etas) of at least 126 % for a low-temperature unit and 111 % for a medium- or high-temperature one, installation by an RGE-certified professional, and a sizing note handed to the customer. The conventional lifetime is 17 years: that is what turns a yearly saving into “cumac” kWh, cumulated and discounted over the lifetime.
The volume depends on three things: seasonal efficiency (two bands), the area heated by the heat pump (three bands) and the climate zone (three zones). For a flat the amounts are lower: 48,700 and 58,900 kWh cumac, with area thresholds at 35 and 60 m². For a ground-source heat pump, sheet BAR-TH-172 sets 101,400 and 119,400 kWh cumac in a house, over a 20-year lifetime.
| Heated area | Zone | kWh cumac | With Coup de pouce | Value (purple, pink) | Value (blue, yellow) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 70 m² | H1 | 54,540 | 272,700 | €2,405 | €3,992 |
| under 70 m² | H2 | 45,450 | 227,250 | €2,004 | €3,327 |
| under 70 m² | H3 | 31,815 | 159,075 | €1,403 | €2,329 |
| 70 to 89 m² | H1 | 76,356 | 381,780 | €3,367 | €5,589 |
| 70 to 89 m² | H2 | 63,630 | 318,150 | €2,806 | €4,658 |
| 70 to 89 m² | H3 | 44,541 | 222,705 | €1,964 | €3,260 |
| 90 m² and over | H1 | 109,080 | 545,400 | €4,810 | €7,985 |
| 90 m² and over | H2 | 90,900 | 454,500 | €4,009 | €6,654 |
| 90 m² and over | H3 | 63,630 | 318,150 | €2,806 | €4,658 |
Your département’s climate zone
Zones H1, H2 and H3 are those of the order of 26 October 2010 on thermal regulations. Zone H1 covers the north, east, centre, Île-de-France and parts of the Massif Central and the Alps; zone H3 the Mediterranean coast and Corsica; everything else is H2. The calculator knows the zone of each of the 96 départements. The zone factor rewards cold climates, where a heat pump saves more: the same house earns 70% more kWh cumac in Strasbourg than in Marseille.
My département’s climate
Degree days per year (2015-2024)
2,071 DJU
| Year 2025 | 2,003 DJU |
| Climate zone | H2 |
| Reference station | Rennes-St Jacques (36 m) |
| 3 coldest days | 0.1 °C |
The Coup de pouce Chauffage, times five
Since 1 October 2025 the Coup de pouce for sheets BAR-TH-171 and BAR-TH-172 is no longer a minimum amount but a factor: ×5, until 31 December 2030, for a main residence where the heat pump replaces an individual coal, oil or gas boiler. Second homes are excluded. Since 1 September 2026 there is a further condition: the heat pump model must be approved under decree 2026-413. In practice the Coup de pouce makes up most of the bonus: without it, a 100 m² house in zone H2 generates only 90,900 kWh cumac.
From kWh cumac to euros
Certificates are traded between companies. The national Emmy registry publishes the average transaction price every month: €8.82 per cumac megawatt-hour for standard certificates in September 2026, €14.64 for “fuel poverty” certificates, which arise from work in low and very-low-income households. The registry points out that this average is not a benchmark index: we use it for an order of magnitude, not to predict the offer you will receive.
A fair offer is compared in euros per kWh cumac. A €4,000 bonus for 454,500 kWh cumac is €8.80 per megawatt-hour: below the average price. Some installers fold the bonus into the quote as a discount; then check that the price before discount has not been inflated by the same amount, against the median of published quotes.
CEE bonus and MaPrimeRénov’: the cap
The CEE bonus can be combined with MaPrimeRénov’, but not without limit: together they may not exceed 90% of the eligible expense for a blue household, 75% for yellow and 60% for purple. A high CEE bonus therefore cuts MaPrimeRénov’. The full calculation, with your quote and income, is on the grant cap page and in the calculator.