Sales of wood heating products in France: 2020 shows a sharp decrease

Sales down 16.4% in 2020

• The pellet stove shows a drop in sales of 18.7%, going from 149,510 units sold in 2019 to 121,500 in 2020
• The decrease in wood stove sales is smaller, but still 13.7%
• Fireplaces and inserts, free-falling for several years, continue to see their sales decrease, with a decline of 25%
• On the other hand, sales of pellet boilers increased in 2020 compared to the previous year with the marketing of 340 additional boilers. It must be said that this type of heating is greatly favored by public aid.

A health crisis that explains everything?

It’s no surprise that 2020 was a dark year. Which industrial sector has not been affected by the health and economic crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic? With 55 days of general lockdown in spring and 306 days in November 2020, we are approaching a full quarter with no activity. Let’s look on the bright side: if we compare sales with the number of working days in 2020, the sector has not gone too badly and we could even say that manufacturers and installers have achieved good results in a very unfavorable context! “I would have signed immediately if I had been promised this result last March!” says Daniele Righi of the De Manincor company who managed to keep sales of wood stoves in 2020 at levels of previous years. “The distributors closed for two months and sales dropped. Fortunately, these were the weakest months of the year. The impact could have been much heavier if the lockdown had occurred in the middle of the heating season”.

The warmth of the house, a new priority

But all is not lost. French has a strong interest in wood heating, also coming from the trend of 2020! During the period of the first lockdown, wood heating benefited from a renewed energy in the public debate. As Eric Vial of ProPellet points out, “this crisis will have at least one merit: raising awareness as many people as possible about the importance of buying locally, developing short circuits and being environmentally virtuous”. The lockdown also allowed the French to be reunited with their interior. They have rediscovered the importance of warmth in the home both literally and figuratively. Daniele Righi also puts in his good results “a change of priorities: because we had to, we spent more time at home, in our homes. We cooked more and, coming out of the first lockdown, we undoubtedly wanted to improve our interior. Stoves but also wood stoves go hand in hand with the pursuit of pleasure and comfort. “The second lockdown did not break this dynamic. The activity was at its peak when the new lockdown was announced”, says Caroline Izar, who manages “SARL Adopte un poele”. “We were much less disturbed than the first, because we have been able to adapt and have taken advantage of the last few months to equip ourselves with all the necessary tools: videoconferencing, remote signature software, more complete remote study request on our website”.

Prospects for 2021

This enthusiasm for the warmth of the home materialized in the first quarter of 2021 from strong demand in stores. And public authorities have been a strong ally by affirming their willingness to develop this renewable energy: the increase to over 9 million households heating with wood is included in the Multi-Year Energy Program (EPP) which was validated in 2020. To achieve this, there is in particular the national support system “MaPrimeRénov” which massively encourages French families to overhaul their heating, insulation and power generation systems in their homes. MaPrimeRénov now means more than 15,000 new cases a day! In addition to this aid system, there are also the “Coup de Pousse Chauffage” and “Air Bois” funds supported by ADEME and some local authorities that financially incetivize taxpayers with an old insert to replace it with a new stove. Wood heating…A deep interest on the part of private individuals, a national issue for the environment, significant public aid even if families with rich incomes are excluded … We can hope for a better year 2021 … if COVID allows it!

Nicolas Audigane and Cyril Esnault from Poeles.Net

The opinion of Aymeric de Galembert, President of Seguin Dutriez,
Co-President of the Commission for wood-fired domestic heating of the S.E.R.

– Less than 320,000 devices sold in 2020: are you in line with these statistics?

The year 2020 is obvious very influenced by the measures adopted in the health context, in particular in the 1^st semester. The sharp decrease in activity in France in the months from March to May did not spare wood heating. The end of the year was more favorable, and the second lockdown allowed for a better balance in managing the maintenance of economic activity. The end of the year was therefore more favorable, but without making up for lost time.

– Obviously, there are the Covid-19 pandemic and the recurring mild winters, but to what perhaps more structural reasons do you attribute this drop in sales?

I don’t think there is a structural side to the observed decrease in sales. First of all, as I said, it was very focused on general recessions. Hence, the best trend observed at the end of the year has accelerated significantly in early 2021, which can be expected favorable for wood heating, not only compared to a weak 2020 but also compared to the average activity of the previous years. Conversely, it would be premature to speak of a structural increase; I think it is mainly a matter of catching up (projects not completed in 2020) and a cyclical trend favorable to the renewal of the habitat at the beginning of the year.

My belief remains that our profession has a challenging but promising future. Challenging because the performance levels induced by the regulations on devices will increase, towards increasingly virtuous installations. Promising because the energy of wood clearly has a role to play in the energy mix at a time when the priorities that will emerge for our country in the years to come revolve around autonomy, sovereignty, decarbonization and revitalization of territories, issues on which our sector has considerable advantages.

– What would you like the public authorities to do to relaunch the French market?
Of course, aid for the renewal of devices and the extension of the “Air Bois” funds could help. Our industry above all needs simplification and recognition.
Let’s take the example of the challenges of fine dust in urban areas: the sector can clearly participate in accelerating the improvement of air quality, replacing old devices, closing closed houses and increasing education for users. However, it is always necessary to clearly distinguish efficient wood heating (the reality of the sector today) from the entire existing stock, and to avoid stigmatizing short cuts that can hinder these efforts.
The speech is challenging and constructive with the authorities, so I have high hopes that we can build a responsible and solid future for our industry.