Sobriety plan, act 2: working meeting "Large businesses and tertiary activities"

This meeting was an opportunity to carry out an initial assessment of both energy consumption and the effect of the measures implemented this winter to improve energy savings in tertiary activities and areas. This was the subject of the feedback requested from players in mass distribution, shopping centers and other tertiary areas.

The holding of this working group was an opportunity to recall the unique issues related to these sectors, with commercial activities representing nearly 45% of consumption in the tertiary sector, ie 100 TWh (including 30 TWh for supermarkets). These are also activities that are at the heart of French people's daily lives and that can help change behavior.

In this context, reference was made to the work carried out during the winter around the association of large-scale distribution brands (PERIFEM), which organized the discussions of large and medium-sized stores, and which announced joint measures to retail chains, adopted in turn by some forty trade representative federations. These measures include in particular:

• The automatic extinction of illuminated signs as soon as the store closes;
• The systematization of the decrease in light intensity:
  • Before the arrival of the public: reduction of the lighting of the sales area by 50%;
  • During the presence of the public, reduction of the lighting of the sales area by 30% during critical periods of consumption.
• More sober management of energy needs via, for example, cutting off air renewal at night or shifting ice production.

This measurement protocol has already had significant results and should save 1 TWh over the year, or 7% of the energy consumption of the large retail chains sector.

In addition, on December 14, 2022, following a progress report with the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, a major in-store awareness campaign aimed at encouraging the public to save energy was was launched as an extension of the Government's campaign: "Every gesture counts".

The meeting was also an opportunity to present the work that has been launched by the Sustainable Building Plan, which brings together a large network of building and real estate players. Within the framework of this working group, its action allows in particular:

• to gather feedback and data on sobriety measures, in cooperation with ADEME and IFPEB, to objectivize the real effectiveness of the measures and identify best practices;
• promote and communicate around good practices;
• lead a task force with La Poste on the specific challenges of the “small service sector”.

The first results of this action should be available in the first half of 2023. They will make it possible to disseminate best practices and ensure that information circulates well during the summer to ensure appropriate preparation for winter. The aim of these initiatives is to communicate as well as possible with businesses and tertiary space managers. They will be added to the "lower the Watts" program, launched in November 2022 and dedicated to supporting VSEs/SMEs to better control their energy consumption.

The two ministers welcomed the efforts made by the actors and called for this mobilization to be sustained over time, in order to meet the objective of a 10% reduction in energy consumption within two years. All the participants indicated that they share this ambition with conviction. They have expressed their desire to do so, both out of conviction and to meet the aspirations of many of their employees and customers.

This meeting also made it possible to come back to the regulations, whether in force or to come, which require constant work, both from the State and from private actors.

This is the case with the "tertiary decree" in particular, which will impose a 40% reduction in energy consumption by 2030, 50% by 2040 and 60% by 2050. This system is the subject of daily work between the ministries and the representatives of the tertiary sectors to arrive at mechanisms that are both ambitious and operational.

This also applies to decrees which impose:

• closing the doors of air-conditioned or heated stores under penalty of a fine of €750.
• the end of heated or air-conditioned outdoor terraces, under penalty of a fine of €1500, or even €3000 in the event of a repeat offence.

Overall, the meeting of the "large retail and tertiary activities" working group was, for the ministers and the participants, the opportunity to make three observations: firstly, that of the mobilization and voluntarism of the sectors concerned, then, that of the need to anticipate summer issues, such as ventilation and air conditioning, and finally, that of the room for maneuver that remained deployable to make the effort of energy sobriety sustainable.

For Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition: “The sobriety plan implemented by large retailers has enabled energy savings of more than 10% this winter. These very concrete measures for controlling lighting and heating have been implemented systematically in the stores. We are urging the sector to perpetuate and amplify these measures, so that the French go shopping in spaces that respect the environment and are committed to the energy transition. »

For Olivia Grégoire, Minister Delegate in charge of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Trade, Crafts and Tourism: “The commitment of large commercial surfaces is fundamental to achieve a substantial reduction in our energy consumption, and to set an example for the rest of the trade as well as tertiary activities. We work with stakeholders on a daily basis, both on regulations and on the technical and operational means that will enable energy efficiency objectives to be achieved. »