Air conditioning versus good insulation: what building standards say

For several members of the National Rally (RN), including Jean-Philippe Tanguy, echoed by many internet users, the 2020 environmental regulation, known as "RE2020", is a "frightful technocratic and bureaucratic blather" that makes it "impossible" to install air conditioning.

"The RE2020 regulations do not prohibit air conditioning at all," retorts Pascal Housset, president of the Union of Air Conditioning and Roofing Trades within the French Building Federation (FFB).

This set of standards, focused on reducing the carbon impact of buildings, concerns housing, offices, primary schools, middle schools and high schools for which building permits were filed from 2022 onwards, meaning very few buildings are actually completed.

The scope was extended to include hospitals, nurseries, nursing homes, among others, on May 1st.

"The goal is to have the most comfortable housing possible while consuming as little energy as possible, both in summer and in winter," explains Christophe Millet, president of the National Council of the Order of Architects, who assures that good building design can make it possible to do without air conditioning.

"More effort"

When a cooling system - such as air conditioning, but in most cases it is a reversible heat pump - is integrated, this increases the theoretical energy consumption and consequently requires "more effort" on the building envelope, explains Guillaume Meunier, consultant at the French Institute for Building Performance (Ifpeb).

"This amounts to asking for sunshades and better building insulation," he summarizes. A fairly logical idea, according to him, since using air conditioning in a poorly insulated building or one poorly protected from the sun is very energy-intensive.

The problem, according to Robin Rivaton, a real estate entrepreneur and author of a report on RE2020 commissioned by the government, is that the calculation method for these recommendations "over-exaggerates air conditioning consumption".

To stay within the limits with air conditioning, "it will be necessary to increase the thickness of insulation, or use more efficient but more expensive materials, or even reduce the number of windows," says Mr. Rivaton, who estimated in his report that compliance with environmental standards could lead to additional costs and a decrease in the quality of housing.

In secret

Consequently, according to Alexandre Aglave, co-founder of the design office Actemiss, "it is very difficult, if not impossible, to make a project with air conditioning compliant with RE2020", which seeks to "avoid systematic air conditioning".

The balance between air conditioning consumption and insulation is so difficult to find that many homeowners secretly use a cooling system, according to Robin Rivaton.

"Of course it is possible to build with air conditioning, we already do it," argues Pascal Housset.

Further adjustments are planned to avoid blocking the installation of air conditioners in the surrounding and hinterland of the Mediterranean.

New construction standards have also been accused of not sufficiently taking into account adaptation to global warming, with heat waves becoming more frequent and more intense.

The primary objective of RE2020 was to "reduce energy consumption", which comes mainly from heating in winter "and to reduce dependence on oil", recalls Guillaume Meunier.

"The RE2020 regulation did not miss the mark regarding summer comfort," argues Robin Rivaton. However, he believes the maximum thermal discomfort threshold, equivalent to 25 days per year above 28°C, is not demanding enough.

The government has begun to consider adjustments to these standards. In March, an initial decree eased "rigidities" that weigh on housing quality, according to Housing Minister Vincent Jeanbrun.

The ministry now plans to consult with the sector to "develop the RE2020 regarding summer comfort" and "the issue of air conditioning will obviously be studied".

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.