I have recently successfully installed geothermal heating in my old farmhouse, does anyone know of any special tariffs or benifits available? Likewise for solar panels for hot water, I do not work in france so cannot get a tax break!

It is not whether you work in France or not it is whether you are tax resident or not.

All French tax residents are entitled to declare expenditure on environmentally friendly forms of heating on their tax form and they can get a tax rebate up to 50% of expenditure. You can only claim this though if the work has been done by an artisan and you have the receipts to prove it. So DIY systems don't count no matter how competent you are and if you have bought the materials and an artisan has installed the system, I think that doesn't count either. There are also financial limits, so you might not get all the money back.

If you are resident in France and pay no tax you will simply get a cheque for the amount owed.

If you are not resident, tough luck, no rebates.

Sue