Energy & insulation
Wallonia's Prime Habitation is over: what Rénopack means
Wallonia's Prime Habitation ended on 30 September 2026. Rénopack and Rénoprêt replace it: who qualifies, which PEB conditions apply, what changes in your quote.
By the Batizzy teamPublished Updated 9 min read
The Prime Habitation is gone. Wallonia's temporary grant scheme closed on 30 September 2026 at 23:59: the work had to be finished and the application filed by then. Since 1 October, the Region still helps people renovate, but through loans, on a whole project, and only for homes that start from a poor energy rating. If you are planning work, the biggest change is the order of things: the audit first, then the loan, and the work only once the credit agreement is signed.
What changed on 1 October 2026
Grants per job are gone. Regional support is now calculated on all the eligible work in the project taken together (roof, insulation, windows, heating...) and takes the form of two loans that already existed, with revised conditions: Rénopack and Rénoprêt.
It no longer covers every home either. You have to start from a PEB label of G or F and reach at least D after the work, or go from E to at least C. A home already rated D or better falls outside the scheme. The Region allows exemptions when the target label cannot be reached for duly justified technical, functional or economic reasons.
Rénopack or Rénoprêt: who gets what
Everything depends on your household's income category, based on taxable income. The thresholds were indexed on 1 January 2026, and each dependant takes €5,000 off the income that counts.
| Category | Household income | Loan | Rate | Share you never repay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | up to €28,900 | Rénopack | 0% | up to 50% |
| C2 | €28,900.01 to €41,100 | Rénopack | 0% | up to 40% |
| C3 | €41,100.01 to €67,100 | Rénopack | 0% | up to 15% |
| C4 | €67,100.01 to €122,800 | Rénoprêt | preferential | none |
The "up to" matters. Those percentages include a 5% top-up for projects that use eco-materials or bio-based materials for all the work on the building envelope. Without it, the share you never repay is 45% in C1, 35% in C2 and 10% in C3. It only applies to the eligible work, not to every cost in the project.
Rénopack is a zero-interest loan of which part is never repaid, which makes it a grant in another form. It is reserved for C1 to C3 households who live in the home. You must hold a real right over the property (owning it, for example) and move in no later than 24 months after the loan is granted. People who own another home or receive rental income are not eligible.
Rénoprêt is a loan at a preferential rate, interest-free in some cases (adapting a home to a disability, work after a recognised natural disaster). It is aimed in particular at C4 households, landlords and co-owners' associations.
The loan can reach €75,000 for a single-family house and €60,000 for a flat (private parts, household income up to €122,800). For the common parts of a building, a co-owners' association can borrow up to €60,000 per dwelling, capped at €600,000 below 20 units and €750,000 from 20 units.
Illustrative example: a C2 household borrows €30,000 for eligible work and insulates the whole envelope with bio-based materials. The reduction reaches 40%, or €12,000. The household repays €18,000, interest-free.
What to check before you sign anything
The home audit (audit logement) is the starting point. It sets the home's PEB label, lists the safety, health and energy-saving work, and puts it in order. The report must have been drawn up or updated no more than one year before the application, and its cost can be covered by the loan. For a C1 household without a recent audit, the lender can estimate the label during its own assessment.
Only work listed in that report (or in the lender's assessment) and needed to reach the target label is financed. The SWCS lists roof covering and roof structure, cornices and gutters, insulation of the roof, walls and floors, windows, a heat pump or a biomass boiler, domestic hot water, a complete ventilation system and external sun shading. Health and safety work also counts (bringing electricity and gas up to standard, damp, dry rot, radon, structural stability), as do the audit itself and architect or surveyor fees linked to the project.
The last point is the one that upsets most schedules: work may not start, and no deposit may be paid, before the credit agreement is signed. The SWCS warns that starting or paying for a job too early can affect the project's eligibility.
The steps, in order
- Have the home audit carried out by an approved auditor. No audit under a year old, no file (apart from the C1 exception above).
- Ask for quotes that follow the audit's recommendations. They are part of the documents you will submit.
- Pre-register with the SWCS, which has opened an online form. This is not yet an aid application and gives you no rights: it only means you will be contacted. The SWCS expects the scheme to be fully operational in early 2027, once files from the previous system are processed.
- Gather the documents: audit, quotes, any permits, proof of household income.
- Sign the credit agreement, and only then start the work.
Two bodies lend the money. The Société wallonne du Crédit social (SWCS, 078 15 80 08) works through approved social credit offices. The Fonds du Logement de Wallonie (071 20 77 00) is aimed in particular at families with three or more children, landlords and co-owners' associations. For free first advice, call 1718 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 17:00) or visit a Guichet Énergie Wallonie or an Espace Wallonie. From 1 January 2028, the Agence wallonne de l'Habitation will run the scheme.
On a modest income? Look at the MEBAR subsidy too, in principle up to €2,000 for some insulation, window or heating work. You apply through the CPAS (public social welfare centre) of your municipality, before buying anything and before the work starts.
Living in one of the municipalities of the German-speaking Community? It runs its own energy grant system, so check with its ministry before you start.
The transitional scheme: old grants still within reach
Projects launched before the 2025 reform are not all lost. If you signed a quote or a final purchase order no later than 13 February 2025, the old schemes remain open: the Habitation 2019 and 2023 grants, the Toiture et Petits Travaux grants and the Chauffage et Eau chaude pour tous grants. The rules:
- the application must be filed by 30 September 2027 at the latest;
- no deposit is required, but each investment needs a copy of the dated and signed quote (or proof of the final order);
- for the Habitation 2019 and 2023 grants, a prior home audit is still compulsory, roof work included;
- for the Chauffage et Eau chaude pour tous grants, the final invoice must be dated 31 December 2026 at the latest.
Already filed an application? No need to start again: the administration reviews the files concerned on its own and contacts you if needed.
What this changes in your quote
With a loan calculated on a whole project, the quote becomes part of the credit file. A few habits to agree with your contractor:
- Match the quote to the audit, reusing the wording of its recommendations item by item. The lender should see the link without guessing.
- Keep eligible work separate from the rest. The Rénopack reduction only applies to eligible work: a kitchen you redo at the same time belongs on separate lines.
- Name the materials. To claim the eco-materials top-up, every envelope item must state the insulation or material used.
- Settle the deposit question. Have the quote state that neither the work nor the deposit starts before the credit agreement is signed.
- Check the VAT. For a private home more than 10 years old, the work stays at 6% if the conditions are met. Since 29 July 2025, a gas or oil boiler and its specific parts are invoiced at 21%, labour included. Radiators, underfloor heating and pipework can stay at 6% if the invoice clearly splits the two rates. The details are in our guide to 6% VAT in Belgium.
- Forget heating oil. Oil boilers have been banned in new buildings since 1 January 2026. In existing buildings, installing or replacing one will be banned from 1 January 2031.
FAQ
Does the Prime Habitation still exist?
No. The temporary scheme ended on 30 September 2026: the work had to be finished and the application filed by 23:59 that day. Only projects covered by a quote or purchase order signed no later than 13 February 2025 can still fall under the old grants, with an application filed by 30 September 2027.
My home is rated D: can I get Rénopack?
No, unless an exemption applies. The new scheme targets homes rated G, F or E that jump at least one label: D at minimum for G and F, C at minimum for E. A home already rated D or better is out of scope.
Can I start the work before I have the loan?
No. Work may not begin and no deposit may be paid before the credit agreement is signed. A job started too early can put the project's eligibility at risk.
Can Rénopack be combined with 6% VAT?
Yes. The VAT rate depends on tax conditions (home older than 10 years, private use, work supplied and invoiced by the contractor to the occupant), not on how you finance it. One exception to watch: gas and oil boilers, invoiced at 21% since 29 July 2025.
Compare quotes before you commit
Renovating in Brussels? Read our update on Brussels support. In Flanders, everything goes through Mijn VerbouwPremie. To see where your home stands today, our guide to the PEB in Wallonia explains how to read the certificate.
On Batizzy, you describe your project once. Contractors in your area reply through the project's messages, then you compare their quotes side by side, with the total including VAT, the deposit and the validity period. A good moment to check that each quote follows your audit.