The publication of the first school renovation barometer, by the EduRénov* program, highlights the momentum underway to improve the energy performance of school buildings. But from the lack of skills to the need to truly measure post-construction savings, many challenges remain for local authorities.
An aging and energy-consuming fleet
In France, school buildings represent a major challenge for the successful energy transition:
- 157 million m2, or a third of public real estate assets.
- An aging fleet: 80% of schools are over 50 years old
- A significant cost: schools represent 30% of the municipalities' energy bill
- Summer comfort: Schools exposed to heat waves will be three times more frequent tomorrow (from 2030) due to the acceleration of climate change
The majority of French schools have not been built taking into account the high summer heat, and even fewer regular and early heat waves. It is estimated today that almost 75 % of French schools suffer from insufficient thermal insulation, with infrastructure often over 40 years old, completely unsuitable for current climatic conditions.
This poor adaptation has direct consequences: interior temperatures that can reach or even exceed 30 ° C, insufficient ventilation, the absence of effective devices to manage solar protections or the frequent use of energy air conditioners.
In addition to the objective of the tertiary decree which requires educational establishments, to gradually reduce their energy consumption (by 40% by 2030, 50% by 2040 and 60% by 2050), the concept of summer comfort thus becomes a major issue, not only for health but also for the energy costs of communities.
From energy audits to renovation, the momentum is accelerating
According to the first school renovation barometer, 84% of local authorities have launched or completed a renovation project in the last five years. This represents more than €1.2 billion already invested, the vast majority through comprehensive renovations and not through separate initiatives.
3 types of work are the most frequent:
- Thermal insulation
- Vegetation/de-impermeabilization of the courtyard
- Change of the heat production system in favor of a decarbonized mode (heat pump, biomass, geothermal energy, etc.)
The lever of the EduRénov program
EduRénov program , launched by the State as part of the Green Fund, serves as an accelerator for energy renovation. The stated objective: to scale up energy renovation, with 10,000 establishments renovated by 2027, achieving at least 40% energy savings.
To this end, the Banque des Territoires is financing €2 billion of work. The study phase (energy audits) is also fully covered.
Sobre Energie is a winner of the Edurenov program for the energy audit component and can work on all types of eligible educational buildings:
- Schools
- Colleges
- High schools
- Universities
10% gains for communities
Two-thirds of the communities surveyed in the barometer believe they have achieved all or part of their objectives at the end of their energy renovation project.
Better summer comfort for students and teaching staff, regulatory compliance (BACS Decree, Tertiary Decree trajectory, etc.), exemplary behavior, budgetary savings, the gains are numerous.
Financially, this represents an overall gain of 10% on the energy bill of the local authorities' school assets (i.e. €130 million).
Financing, skills and guaranteed results, the challenges of tomorrow
Levers of innovative financing
The financing methods used by local authorities are varied:
- subsidies for half of the municipalities
- self-financing for departments and regions
In addition to the EduRénov program, other levers can be activated.
1. The Global Energy Performance Market (MGPE PD)
This contractual arrangement, funded by ACTEE and ADEME, allows local authorities to entrust a single operator with the design, implementation, operation, and maintenance of renovation work with a performance commitment. It also allows local authorities to advance funds to overcome the initial investment barrier. This arrangement secures long-term energy performance and facilitates access to financing through public-private partnerships.
These mechanisms make it possible to initiate ambitious renovations to improve summer comfort and to comply with the objectives of the tertiary decree.
2. Energy Saving Certificates (EEC)
This system allows you to obtain aid linked to specific energy performance actions (heating, lighting, air conditioning), from a CEE delegate, such as our partner Economie d'énergie.
The 75th decree, published on September 9, created 2 new CEE files for school buildings:
- BAT-TH-163 air-water heat pump
- BAT-TH-164 water-water or glycolated water-water heat pump
These 2 CEE forms benefit from a bonus for the replacement of a coal, oil or gas boiler:
- Bonus coefficient of 3 for the BAT-TH-163 form
- Bonus coefficient of 4 for the BAT-TH-164 form
This same decree creates a new form for geothermal energy: BAT-TH-162 geothermal system. This form benefits from a bonus coefficient of 5 for the replacement of a coal, oil or gas boiler.
These 3 new sheets will come into force on January 1, 2026.
The 5th period of Energy Saving Certificates 2022-2025 ends at the end of the year. The 6th period 2026-2030 is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2026. The content and future amounts proposed by the General Directorate for Energy and Climate (DGEC) of the Ministry of Ecological Transition will be announced shortly.
Good news, the overall amount should be increased by more than 35%:
- 1050 TWhc/year or 5250 TWhc over the period 2026-2030
- Vs 775 TWhc/year or 3100 TWhc over the period 2022-2025
The energy manager, the key skill
The first school energy renovation barometer also highlights the challenges facing local authorities. In particular, the lack of in-house technical skills to successfully carry out a renovation project, especially when choosing scenarios resulting from energy audits.
It is the role of an Energy manager or flow economist to prioritize the issues and improve the energy performance of existing equipment, even before the work:
- Management of a BMS to optimize equipment operation
- Load curve analysis to avoid unnecessary consumption
The challenge of guaranteed results
To achieve the objectives of the Tertiary Decree (-40% consumption by 2030), improving operations is not enough. Work must be carried out (thermal insulation, changing heating methods, relamping, etc.). But how can we ensure that the savings projected in the audit are actually real post-work? According to the first school renovation barometer, 20% of local authorities are unaware of the real impact on post-work energy consumption.
Measuring and verifying performance using a monitoring platform like DATAMARC NEO is essential. Thanks to our My Eco-Performance module, energy performance actions resulting from digital audits are tracked using an IPMVP protocol. The project owner is also alerted if there is a deviation from the forecast.