The building insulation market - France

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Insulation brings together all the techniques that have two ultimate purposes:

Protect the interior of the house which is acoustically affected by external influences;
Contain heat and improve the internal energy balance of a building structure;

The market can be divided into two sub-segments: the market for insulation materials and that of insulation work.

The market is structured between suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers of insulating materials, specifiers, distributors and finally installers who work with end customers. Moreover, the market is driven by the rate at which houses are built, but also by renovation. The insulation market is dynamic and has experienced a CAGR of 6.2% over the last five years globally.

In France, the insulation market is a hot topic since it is a crucial pillar in the energy transition. Indeed, the building sector emits more than 123 million tons of CO2 every year, thus making it one of the major challenges for the coming years. In 2020 there are more than 20 million housing units still in a situation of energy insecurity. These dwellings are referred to as "thermal sieves" and require renovation by 2050.

To facilitate this upgrade, public policies have been put in place. For instance, consumers have enjoyed financial incentives such as tax deductions, zero rate eco-loans, etc. The building insulation market is thus boosted by this government effort, which has helped the market grow at an annual rate of some 10% over the past 5 years.

1.2 World markets for insulation and insulating materials are growing strongly

According to MarketsInsider, the market for building insulation is expected to grow steadily for the next few years reaching $** billion by ****.

Insulation to house buildings in particular is expected to reach $** billion Insulation to commercial and non-residential purposes would thus reach $** billion, after a CAGR of *.* % over the period ****-****.

This ...

1.3 Strong growth in the domestic market

According to the INSEE's Nomenclature d'Activités Française, the sub-category of Building Insulation Works (***) includes thermal, acoustic and anti-vibration insulation works. [***]

The Insulation Market France, ****-****, € billion Source: ****

This market is experiencing significant growth, with a **.*% CAGR from **** to ****. The market is uplifted by the construction sector, but also by ...

1.4 L'impact du Covid-19 sur le BTP

Le Covid-** a eu un impact particulièrement négatif pour le secteur, provoquant des baisses significatives de l'activité ainsi que des problèmes d'approvisionnements. Mais le gouvernement a vite réagi en exhortant à partir du ** mars les entreprises à reprendre les chantiers. Néanmoins, les recommandations sanitaires en vigueur ont affectés ...

2.1 Households: a demand for renovation

The first step in renovating a home to improve its energy performance is to insulate the walls, floors and, if possible, attic space. [***]

The TREMI survey (***) based on energy performance. There are * classes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. According to La Croix, a house classified G would consume ** times ...

2.2 The tertiary building stock: an opportunity for the sector

The tertiary sector, which includes companies providing services, accounts for a quarter of France's real estate assets and a third of the energy consumption of all buildings. Similar to the residential sector, it is relatively old and requires renovation work to reduce the energy bill. It is therefore the target of ...

2.3 A decrease in housing starts threatens demand

In general, the installation of insulation in real estate commences * months after the start of construction. It is thus possible to anticipate demand for insulation by observing the evolution of construction starts. [***]

However, according to Batirama a turnaround in the economy is to be expected. Indeed, the economic situation in nine ...

2.4 Demand affected by government objectives

Buildings account for **% of energy consumption emissions and **% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Papernest. Consequently, the public authorities have made insulation a priority in the policy of reducing energy consumption.

The objectives are ambitious

****: reduction in the energy consumption of the housing stock by **% compared to **** with the heavy ...

2.5 Demandes et préférences du marché des isolants

La technique d’isolation comme les matériaux utilisés sont variables. Ces variantes sont choisies fonction du style de l’habitation et dépendent des travaux : construction ou rénovation.

Les matières synthétiques sont les plus demandées pour les travaux d'isolation. Les matières synthétiques qui ...

3.1 The insulating materials industry for construction/renovation

The building insulation sector brings together a large number of players. They segment the market according to the diagram below:

Source: ****

The manufacturing market is dominated by large, international companies like Saint-Gobain or Knauf. Of course, these giants of the market offer all segments of insulating materials for the construction ...

3.2 The distribution by type of frame, insulation station and material

Distribution evenly split between new installations and refurbishments

The market for insulation installations is balanced, and this balance varies little from year to year. The site Environment News revealed in **** that new construction accounted for **.*% of the surface area of insulation installed, compared to **.*% for building renovations. In **** TCB Innovation updates ...

3.3 Key figures for the market

INSEE lists the total indicators for companies registered under the Naf code **.**A (***). The main information is reported in the table below.

Source: ****

3.4 Distribution of actors in France

INSEE provides a geographical breakdown by region of companies registered under code naf **.**A: Insulation work, as shown below. On top of the list is Île-de-France with *** companies, followed by Auvergne Rhône Alpes (***) and the Grand-Est region with *** companies. Conversely, Corsica has only * companies, and the Burgundy-Franche-Conté and Centre-Val de ...

3.5 Manufacturers focus on price competitiveness

Manufacturers are betting on the price-competitiveness of their offer, with the aim of attracting installers but also other players such as design offices, developers, architects, etc.

Thus the quality of the offer requires the adaptation of the production process. The aim here is to increase productivity in order to develop more ...

4.1 Typology of insulation materials and their prices

Insulators are a group of different materials with different insulation qualities. The insulating materials used in construction form a large and diverse product family. These products can be classified into * main groups:

Mineral wool insulation: glass wool, rock wool and cellular glass; Vacuum insulation: this is a new generation of insulation ...

4.2 The different insulation techniques

There are several options for carrying out insulation work, listed in the table below.

Source: ****

4.3 The average price of an installation

ADEME recorded the price paid by individuals for all interventions that took place between **** and ****. The study was thus able to identify the average prices per isolation post and per level of performance, detailed in the graph below.

Average costs of insulation stations per performance France, ****, in € per dwelling Source: ...

4.4 Le nouveau marché du chauffage connecté

L'objectif du chauffage connecté est de simplifier l'utilisation des appareils de chauffage. Depuis son smartphone, il est désormais possible de régler la température de l'habitation, tout comme allumer et éteindre les systèmes thermiques. De même, il existe des options pour régler la température de ...

5.1 Réglementation sur l'isolation des nouvelles constructions

L'Arrêté du ** mars **** modifiant l’arrêté du * mai ****, fixe de nouveaux seuils de performances énergétiques à respecter pour chaque élément d’une construction : chaque région possède désormais son propre niveau de résistance thermique, la norme isolation est donc propre à chacun.

Dans le tableau ci-dessous ...

5.2 Standards, products and the BBC label

Standards and the BBC label

There are standards that help consumers to ensure that products meet their expectations, such as the cE label.

The nF mark, or French standard, guarantees the safety of the materials.

Other non-governmental certifications also exist to guide consumers in their choice. The CSTBat certification issued by ...

5.3 Normes, produits et label BBC

Les normes et le label BBC

Il existe des normes qui aident les consommateurs à garantir l’adéquation des produits à leurs attentes, comme le marquage CE. La marque NF ou norme française garantit la sécurité des matériaux. D’autres certifications non gouvernementales existent aussi pour guider le consommateur ...