October 31, 2023
The Challenge of Low-Carbon Real Estate in the Age of Energy Efficiency
With the launch of Phase 2 of the government’s energy conservation plan—which aims to reduce energy consumption in France by 40% by 2050—the real estate sector represents one of the main areas for energy savings.
As set forth in the law on accelerating renewable energy production enacted last March, it is essential to bring renewable energy in real estate out of the legislative blind spot. This is a challenge well known to’Aire Nouvelle, the low-carbon real estate development and promotion subsidiary of Equans France, which most recently spearheaded the launch of the ENR&R Booster, a collective initiative presented at SIBCA on September 21.
Composed of 16 major players in the real estate sector and supported by ADEME, its members have set themselves a three-year goal to transform the real estate industry and systematically integrate renewable energy and resource recovery through a “test and learn” approach and knowledge-sharing initiative that will be rolled out across 50 pioneering projects.
The real estate sector is not immune to the sustainability revolution and energy efficiency, but it seems necessary to take a step back and examine developments in the real estate market. Two pieces of legislation are shaking up the status quo. First, the Zero Net Land Take Act , which challenges land consumption and reduces the share of low-density housing by steering the market toward urban and building renovation. Second, the RE2020 regulations, which are contributing to the evolution of this market by particularly penalizing single-family homes and low-density multi-family housing. The challenge of decarbonization fits into this context, which differs significantly from the trends in the real estate market seen over the past few decades.