Ecological transition: we penalize the buildings, we spare the behaviors

Stemming from the 2018 ELAN law, the Eco-energy for the tertiary sector scheme mandates progressive energy consumption reductions for buildings larger than 1.000 m²: 40% by 2030, 50% by 2040, and 60% by 2050, compared to a baseline year. Studies conducted on over 500 sites show that by 2030, nearly half of all establishments will be unable to meet these targets, including recently built buildings that comply with current standards but would be non-compliant as soon as they open.

Even more striking, the majority of independent hotels, with a surface area below the 1.000 m² threshold, are not subject to any such requirements. Yet, they are experiencing the same soaring operating costs and facing the same environmental emergency. The square meter criterion does not constitute an energy policy but rather produces arbitrary measures with no real effectiveness. Furthermore, the system over-implements European law. The directive on the energy performance of buildings stipulates that only 16% of the most energy-intensive establishments will take priority action by 2030. French law, however, subjects all sites exceeding the regulatory threshold, regardless of their energy efficiency or lack thereof, whether they are new or old.

The same room, the same night: two radically different margins

In the hotel industry, 70% of water consumption and 60% of energy bills are directly generated by guest behavior in the rooms. On average, a traveler consumes three times more water and energy than at home. The figures speak for themselves. For a night's stay costing €130, a hotelier earns a net profit margin of 66% from a frugal guest. However, with a heavy-consumption guest whose water usage can reach 500 liters per night, this margin plummets to 32%. The water and energy bill, multiplied by three, devours the operating profit. No amount of facade renovations or heat pumps will solve this problem unless the focus shifts to addressing the issue of who is actually using the tap.

The customer wants eco-responsibility, but not during their vacation.

70% of travelers say they prefer establishments committed to sustainable practices. But 90% react negatively when a restrictive measure, such as water limits or refusing daily linen changes, is imposed on them in a coercive manner. Consumers want ecological transition. They reject punitive environmental measures during their holidays. This isn't bad faith; it's simply the workings of human psychology, and it's precisely what the coercive approach ignores in both its design and implementation.

Solutions that reduce consumption by 30% without altering the building

Behavioral incentive schemes already allow for 30% reductions in water and energy consumption, directly on the ground, without construction work, without customer frustration, and without impacting profitability. They are waiting to finally be recognized and integrated into public ecological transition plans, this time fully aligned with the realities on the ground. This appeal by nineteen organizations to the Council of State is not a rejection of the ecological transition; it demonstrates that the current approach is flawed. There will be no lasting climate victory as long as energy policy persists in penalizing buildings rather than transforming and supporting the behavior of those who live in them.

Tribune by Léonard Grynfogel, CEO of Luniwave (LinkedIn).