Building for sustainable development

In the context of sustainable development, the building sector is of strategic importance, as it is the most energy-intensive, accounting for almost 44% of final energy consumption and 21% of greenhouse gas emissions in France. For this reason, the Plan Bâtiment Durable was created in 2009, federating a wide network of building and real estate players around a common mission: to achieve the sector's energy efficiency targets. In September 2012, Philippe Pelletier, its Chairman, was reappointed to implement and steer a new energy performance plan for buildings. The stakes are industrial, economic, societal and cultural. There are many avenues for progress, most of which have already been identified. In particular, the question of renewable energy production at building, district or regional level is becoming crucial. In fact, the regulations for 2020 (RT 2020) should tend to generalize the construction of positive energy buildings (BEPOS). These could include new consumption items (specific uses), assessment criteria (building LCA, environmental indicators), and requirements in terms of energy production, acoustic quality, indoor air quality, etc.

In addition, as the greatest potential for energy savings lies in the existing building stock – 31.3 million homes and 875 million m ² of office space –, the Plan Bâtiment Durable has made energy renovation a priority. This must be able to rely on rehabilitation solutions that are mastered by building industry players, economically competitive and reproducible across a wide typology of buildings. In September 2013, the government launched the Plan de Rénovation Énergétique de l'Habitat (PREH), to encourage the French to undertake energy renovation work in their homes to reduce their energy bills and improve their comfort, while enhancing the value of their property.