Inside his French chateau on the riverbanks of the Loire, Xavier Leleve dreads to find out how much it will cost to heat the 12th-century building this winter. Energy bills in France are expected to soar compared to last year, partly as a result of a hike in gas prices following the Russian invasion of…
Usually, Leleve pays 15,000 to 20,000 euros in heating, electricity and gas each winter to keep the Meung-sur-Loire castle up and running. “A window costs around 10,000 euros and we have 148 of them, so you can imagine how much the window budget is,” said Leleve.An hour’s drive away down the river, Charles-Antoine de Vibraye has decided the best course of action to keep his huge family home heated this winter is to do nothing at all.
“You need to limit heating to a bare minimum to not upset this healthy cycle of thermal exchanges inside a historical building,” he added, though admitting a constant temperature was better for old furniture.