EI-IA — Independent energy advisory for Dordogne homeowners

Independent advisory · Dordogne & nationwide

Services

Fee-paid, commission-free energy advice across solar, storage, heat pumps, ventilation, and hot water — structured around your home and your goals, not around a product sale.

No installer affiliation Fee-paid, not commission-paid English-speaking service

Requirements-led specification, not a sales quote

The process starts with your real data. Analysis of your past 12 months of EDF/Enedis consumption to understand your base-load, peak usage, seasonal variation, and opportunities for load-shifting. This ensures any system is sized around your lifestyle and your property, not generic assumptions or an installer's preferred range.

The service now covers the full thermal and electrical picture: heat pump sizing and MaPrimeRénov' grant navigation, MVHR ventilation compliance, thermodynamic hot water specification, solar and battery concept design, and independent quote review. Each service is scoped and fee-paid. None carries a commission, referral fee, or financial tie to any installer or supplier.

The result is a requirements-led specification, not a sales quote. You receive a clear, engineering-driven recommendation and a detailed technical specification that any RGE-certified installer can price against — ensuring like-for-like quotes, fair comparisons, and a system that genuinely meets your needs.

In short: installers sell systems; I design the right solution for you.

My only priority is that you make an informed, confident decision based on accurate analysis, transparent modelling, and independent advice.

From first call to commissioned system

Every engagement follows the same structured progression. You move from confusion and competing claims to a clear, documented position — and stay there through installation and beyond. The service sits alongside you at every stage; you never face a contractor or grant deadline alone.

Stage 0
Initial conversation
A 30-minute call — always free. The Initial Questionnaire is completed before or during the call to give the session substance. The goal is to understand your property, your situation, and what clarity you need. No commitment, no sales pitch.
Free30 minutes
Stage 1 — optional
Remote desktop review
For properties not yet ready for an on-site visit, or clients outside the Dordogne service area. PVGIS solar yield modelling, grant eligibility mapping, tariff analysis, and a written summary — delivered within 5 working days. Often the right first paid step for second-home owners or clients planning ahead.
Written report€400–500
Stage 2 — the core engagement
Home Energy Autonomy Assessment
A full property visit — typically half a day — followed by a written assessment covering solar, storage, heating, hot water, grants, tariff optimisation, and resilience planning. The core deliverable includes an Installer Briefing document: a plain-English technical specification that any RGE-certified installer can price against. This is what lets you get like-for-like quotes and compare them fairly.
Full written assessmentInstaller briefing€500–650
Stage 3
Quote review & project support
Once quotes are in hand, an independent review against the Installer Briefing specification — checking scope, RGE certification, grant compliance, and value. Each quote takes the same independent lens. For clients proceeding to installation, project support covers contractor liaison (advisory only), subsidy deadline management, and Consuel documentation review through to sign-off.
Quote review€280–380
Project supportFrom €480
Annual
Performance review
One year after commissioning, a remote review of actual system yield against the PVGIS baseline. Any tariff or grant changes that affect your position are noted. A brief written summary — low friction, high value for clients who want confirmation that their system is delivering what it was designed to.
Annual review note€150–250/yr

The full picture, before you spend a euro

The Home Energy Autonomy Assessment is the umbrella service — a whole-home strategy that draws on one or more of the four technical assessments below depending on your property's needs. Each technical assessment can be commissioned as part of a full HEAA, or as a standalone service where the scope is already clear.

Included with every on-site visit

The Home Energy Audit

Before any conversation about heat pumps, solar, or grants, it helps to know exactly where your electricity is going — and whether that matches what you'd expect. Every on-site visit starts with a full appliance-by-appliance audit of your property, cross-checked against a full year of your actual EDF billing data, so the figures aren't guesswork.

Included with every on-site visit — no separate fee
Book an on-site visit →
  • Full appliance-by-appliance inventory, room by room
  • Cross-checked against 12 months of your actual EDF meter data
  • Clear breakdown of where consumption and cost are concentrated
  • Heures Creuses / Heures Pleines tariff review
  • Action plan ranked by cost, effort, and confidence — zero-cost to capital
  • A written report that's yours to keep, whatever you decide next
Service 01 — The umbrella service

Home Energy Autonomy Assessment

The starting point for most clients. A structured review of your property's energy position — consumption, heating sources, solar yield, battery sizing, and grant eligibility — producing a full written report you keep and use independently.

On-site (Dordogne & Nouvelle Aquitaine) or remote desktop
Full details & fees →
  • Full consumption and tariff analysis (HP/HC, Tempo, base)
  • Heating system review — solar, wood, heat recovery, gas interaction
  • Solar yield modelling using PVGIS for your precise location
  • Battery sizing and LFP chemistry recommendations
  • Grant eligibility across all applicable schemes
  • Written report — yours to keep and use with any installer
Service 02 — Technical assessment

Heat Pump Assessment

Independent heat load study and MaPrimeRénov' grant navigation for ASHP and GSHP — the highest-value grant available in 2026, correctly sized before you approach any installer. EN 12831-compliant methodology.

  • EN 12831 heat load calculation, room by room
  • System type recommendation — ASHP or GSHP with rationale
  • Flow temperature assessment for existing emitter circuit
  • MaPrimeRénov' grant optimisation — up to €5,000+
  • Vendor-neutral installer briefing document
MaPrimeRénov' up to €5,000 Full details & fees →
Service 03 — Technical assessment

Thermodynamic Hot Water Assessment

Independent specification for chauffe-eau thermodynamique systems — correctly sized for your household, positioned for maximum efficiency, and grant-optimised before you approach any supplier. One of the simplest standalone MaPrimeRénov' measures.

  • Household demand analysis and CET unit sizing
  • Installation position assessment (air source type)
  • COP and annual cost modelling
  • MaPrimeRénov' eligibility — up to €1,200
MaPrimeRénov' up to €1,200 Full details & fees →
Service 04 — Technical assessment

MVHR Sizing Audit

RE2020 and NF DTU 68.3 compliant ventilation assessment — producing the airflow schedule, unit specification, and MaPrimeRénov' dossier your contractor needs. Essential for any renovation requiring a compliant ventilation strategy.

  • Room-by-room airflow schedule (supply and extract)
  • Branch duct sizing and MVHR unit selection
  • RE2020 / NF DTU 68.3 8-point compliance check
  • MaPrimeRénov' dossier support — up to €2,500
MaPrimeRénov' up to €2,500 Full details & fees →
Service 05 — Technical assessment

Solar + Storage Concept Design

A technical concept brief — string layout, inverter sizing, battery chemistry, and Enedis guidance — sized for your actual consumption, not a standard template. Funded via the prime à l'autoconsommation, separately from MaPrimeRénov'.

  • System concept drawing and technical specification
  • Inverter type, sizing, and battery chemistry recommendation
  • Export tariff analysis — autoconsommation vs injection totale
  • Enedis raccordement guidance (PTF/CACSI process)
Desktop review available nationwide Full details & fees →
Additional services
Review service

Quote Review & Project Support

Already have installer quotes? An independent line-by-line review — checking specs, RGE certification, grant compliance, and contract terms — before you sign anything. Owner-side project support through to Consuel also available.

  • Quote comparison on a common technical basis
  • RGE and QualiPV certification verification
  • Grant compliance and correct sequencing check
  • Contract terms, payment milestones, Consuel obligations
Available nationwide — remote review Full details & fees →
Ongoing service — Coming soon

Remote Management & Reporting

An independent eye on your installed system every month — translating monitoring data into plain English, flagging underperformance, and confirming your system is delivering what it promised. Available to existing clients in a future phase.

Launching late 2026

What does independent advice cost?

All fees are time-based and quoted HT. The initial conversation is always free. No commissions, no installer relationships — the fee paid by you is the only remuneration.

View full fee schedule
All services
Initial conversationFree
Home Energy Autonomy Assessment
Remote desktop (full written report)€400–500
On-site — within 50km of central Dordogne€500–650
On-site — 50–100km€650–800
Heat Pump Assessment
Standard — up to 250 m² (desktop)€450–550
Larger property or complex multi-zone€550–700
Combined heat pump + MVHR study€650–800
Thermodynamic Hot Water Assessment
Standard CET assessment (desktop)€280–380
MVHR Sizing Audit
Standard audit (desktop or on-site)€350–450
Larger property — over 300 m²€450–600
Solar + Storage Concept Design
Desktop concept design€280–380
Quote Review & Project Support
Quote review — up to 3 installer quotes€280–380
Extended project support through to ConsuelFrom €480
Travel supplement (all on-site services)
On-site travel beyond 100km+€0.50/km

All fees quoted HT (excluding TVA). TVA at 20% applies. Fees are indicative and confirmed in writing before work begins — no surprises.

Beyond energy

The same structural problem applies well beyond energy: complex French systems, no obvious English-language guide, and advisors or contractors with inherent conflicts of interest. These extended services apply the same structured, independent methodology to the broader challenges of owning and running a rural French property.

Energy

Structured guidance on household energy behaviour — appliance scheduling, monitoring, tariff-hour optimisation, and solar self-consumption maximisation. A well-specified system and a well-run one are not the same thing. This closes the gap between theoretical and real-world yield.

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Home

Total annual cost of ownership modelling — energy, water, maintenance reserves, taxe foncière trajectory, insurance. A complete picture of what a property actually costs to run, giving a basis for informed decisions about renovation sequencing, investment, and future use. No estate agent or single installer will provide this objectively.

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Water

Rural Dordogne properties frequently have wells, sources, or fosse septique systems that were inherited without documentation. Water quality, pump sizing, irrigation load, rain harvesting, and SPANC compliance (post-2024 inspection requirements are catching many owners off-guard). The same profile as energy: a complex French system, no English-language guide, and no one with an obvious incentive to give you the whole picture.

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Grant

Beyond energy grants, a much larger French state-aid landscape exists that most expat owners are unaware of: MaPrimeAdapt' (accessibility), LEADER/FEADER rural development funds, heritage restoration support, and agricultural land management grants. Independent guidance on what applies to your situation, what the sequencing requirements are, and how to avoid the eligibility traps.

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Renovation

Independent oversight of renovation order and specification — the sequencing logic that determines whether your renovation ends up coherent or fragmented. Insulate before you heat. Commission before you furnish. Lay UFH while the screed is open. These decisions are cheap to get right and expensive to correct. Advisory oversight only — not maîtrise d'œuvre, no contractor direction, no regulated obligations.

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Business

Running-cost analysis, energy specification for guest comfort, EV charging as a competitive gîte feature, pool heating strategy, DPE classification upgrade potential, and income/cost structure review. Gîte owners are already comfortable treating their property as an asset — this service gives them the same rigorous, independent basis for those decisions that they would expect in any other business context.

These services are available on request and scoped individually. All are fee-paid and commission-free — the same structural independence that applies to the energy advisory applies here. Contact to discuss scope and fees.

Start with a free conversation

A short, no-charge call to understand your property and what you are trying to achieve. No commitment required.

How to compare solar quotes