Open fireplaces banned: what about here? Insert or stove, what it costs and what grants are available

No: as at 5 November 2026, no ban on open fireplaces applies in Gironde, the Landes, the Basque Country or Charente-Maritime. The ban that came into force on 1 November covers the Lille Metropolitan Area. But around Bordeaux, the atmosphere protection plan provides for the question to be raised again in 2027: now is the right time to close in your fireplace, with grants.

Open fires banned: what changed on 1 November

Since 1 November 2026, it has been forbidden to light a fire in an open fireplace in the 95 municipalities of the Lille European Metropolitan Area, as announced by the Nord prefecture on 28 April 2026. The measure stems from the atmosphere protection plan for Lille and the former mining area, approved on 1 August 2025. It applies even to a fire lit purely for pleasure; inserts, closed fireplaces and stoves remain permitted.

There is no national rule: each ban is issued by the prefect, in an area covered by an atmosphere protection plan, as has already happened around Grenoble and Lyon.

And in Gironde, the Landes, the Basque Country and Charente-Maritime?

As at 5 November 2026, we have found no order banning open fireplaces in our four departments. Open fires remain permitted there, provided the chimney sweeping is up to date.

Around Bordeaux, the question will come up again. The third atmosphere protection plan for the Bordeaux conurbation, approved by the prefect on 23 July 2024, covers 108 municipalities, including all those of Bordeaux Métropole; Libourne is not one of them. It aims to halve particulate emissions from wood heating by 2030. Its "HC-2" sheet provides that, after a mid-term evaluation in 2027, orders may ban the installation and use of open fireplaces and low-performance appliances in this area.

Why open fireplaces are targeted

An open fireplace heats very poorly: according to ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition, around 90% of the energy in the wood goes up the chimney. It also emits a large quantity of fine particles. In the Bordeaux Métropole area, wood burning accounts for 87% of particulate emissions from the residential sector, according to the rules of the wood-burning air fund.

Insert, closed fireplace or stove: which to choose?

Three solutions keep the wood fire without an open fireplace. Only a quote following a site visit is binding on price.

Can you fit an insert in your fireplace without altering anything? Yes, if its dimensions allow, but the mistake would be to forget the flue. An insert sends out less smoke than an open fire, but more concentrated: in a flue that is too wide or damaged, it draws poorly and clogs up. The installer therefore checks the flue and usually has it lined, in line with the DTU 24.1 code of practice. They also check the room's air supply.

Grants in 2026

For applications submitted since 1 September 2026, MaPrimeRénov' no longer funds a stove, insert or closed fireplace installed on its own (order of 25 August 2026); the appliance is now only supported as part of a whole-house renovation. Our article on the MaPrimeRénov' reform and the 31 December deadline details this timetable.

What remains: energy saving bonuses from energy suppliers (energy saving certificates), for a house more than two years old and an appliance installed by an RGE-certified professional, with an amount that varies by supplier and by your income; VAT at 5.5% on the appliance and its installation, subject to conditions; and the zero-interest eco-loan. Check the installer's qualification: our article on suspended RGE tradespeople explains how.

In Bordeaux Métropole, the wood-burning air fund (Fonds air bois) pays €1,200 to very modest and modest-income households, and €1,000 to others, to replace an open fireplace with an insert, a closed fireplace or a stove (€4,000 and €2,500 for a wood-fired boiler). The grant is capped at €4,000 per home and can be combined with other grants. The home must be at least 15 years old and be a main residence. These are the steps set out in its rules:

1. Meet a France Rénov' adviser before submitting anything, to present the project.
2. Obtain an unsigned quote from an RGE Quali'Bois-certified professional (or equivalent), for an appliance with the Flamme verte 7-star label or listed in the ADEME register.
3. Submit the application on marenov.bordeaux-metropole.fr, with a photo of the open fireplace in working order.
4. Wait for approval, then carry out the work.
5. Send invoices and photos of the closed fireplace once installed, within two years, to be paid.

A worked example

Imagine, by way of example, a couple on modest incomes in Mérignac who close in their open fireplace with a log-burning insert.

Mistakes to avoid

• Signing the quote before applying for the grant: both the wood-burning air fund and the energy saving bonus would be lost.
• Blocking up the fireplace without replacing it: simply closing off an open fireplace is not eligible for support.
• Burning damp wood: it heats poorly and smokes, even in a new appliance.
• Trusting cold callers: our article on energy renovation scams helps you spot them.

To close in your fireplace, discover our full home renovation service in Bordeaux and the metropolitan area; we also work in the Landes, the Basque Country and Charente-Maritime.

Sources : Selectra, « Lille : la cheminée à foyer ouvert interdite au 1er novembre », 22 octobre 2026 (communiqué de la préfecture du Nord du 28 avril 2026, plan de protection de l’atmosphère de Lille et du bassin minier approuvé le 1er août 2025) · Préfecture de la Gironde, arrêté d’approbation du 3e plan de protection de l’atmosphère de l’agglomération bordelaise (108 communes) · DREAL Nouvelle-Aquitaine, rapport du 3e PPA de l’agglomération bordelaise, juin 2024 (fiche HC-2 : mesures réglementaires visant le chauffage au bois après l’évaluation de 2027) · DREAL Nouvelle-Aquitaine, lettre d’actualités n° 1 du PPA de l’agglomération bordelaise, février 2025 (approbation le 23 juillet 2024) · Bordeaux Métropole, règlement d’intervention du Fonds air bois modifié par la délibération n° 2025-446 du 26 septembre 2025 (montants, conditions, pièces) · Arrêté du 25 août 2026 modifiant l’arrêté du 17 novembre 2020 (JO du 27 août 2026) : fin des forfaits MaPrimeRénov’ pour le chauffage au bois, demandes déposées à compter du 1er septembre 2026 · Ministère de la Transition écologique, fiche CEE BAR-TH-112 « Mise en place d’un appareil indépendant de chauffage au bois » (partie A applicable à compter du 1er juillet 2026) · ADEME, « Se chauffer au bois : les bons gestes pour moins consommer et moins polluer » · Quelle Énergie, « Quel est le prix d’un insert cheminée ? », consulté le 5 novembre 2026 · Code général des impôts, article 278-0 bis A (TVA à 5,5 % sur les travaux d’amélioration de la qualité énergétique) ; NF DTU 24.1 (travaux de fumisterie) · france-renov.gouv.fr