While only 1% of French buildings are currently renovated each year*, the economic stimulus plan launched by the government a few months ago has promised to make building renovation a priority.
To date, commercial buildings alone account for nearly one-fifth of final energy consumption in France.
It is in this context that the French BACS decree, Decree No. 2020-887, published on July 21, 2020, in the Official Journal by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, requires all new and existing non-residential commercial buildings** (non-residential) to install an automation and control system by January1, 2025, with the aim of improving their energy performance and reducing their CO2 emissions.
What was the regulatory framework already in place regarding the energy performance of buildings?
The French BACS decree is the direct successor to European Directive 2010/31/EU of May 30, 2018 (Articles 8, 14, and 15) on the energy performance of buildings and on building automation, control, and temperature self-regulation systems.
It also follows the October 2019 publication of the tertiary sector decree requiring public and private buildings with a floor area exceeding 1 km² to submit regular reports on their energy consumption via the OPERAT platform (with the first report due by 2021 at the latest).
It should be noted that, prior to the introduction of this directive and these decrees, energy management in buildings was subject to very few regulations in France.
Which commercial buildings are covered by the BACS decree? (**)
The BACS decree applies to new and existing buildings whose HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems have a capacity exceeding 290 kW, as well as to existing buildings where the installation or replacement of heat generators is planned.
This applies to all types of commercial buildings, including office buildings, hotels, warehouses, and skyscrapers…
Which commercial buildings are exempt? (**)
There is a provision allowing owners of existing buildings to be exempted from the requirement to install an automation and control system in their facilities. To qualify, they must demonstrate that it is technically or economically unfeasible to implement such systems. A study must be conducted to show that a return on investment cannot be achieved within six years of the solution’s implementation.
How can you actually implement an automation and control system in your building?
From the perspective of the building’s energy performance, the automation and control system required by the BACS decree actually pertains to the building’s HVAC systems and itsBMS.
Here is an overview of the features and objectives of this decree:
- Continuous monitoring through reliable and regular measurements of energy consumption ( electricity, water, gas, etc.) to enable real-time analysis and the implementation of corrective measures in the event of identified exceedances or incidents.
- The creation of a comprehensive energy assessment of the building by aggregating multiple energy data points collected in real time and comparing them against reference values and thresholds. If the assessment reveals mixed results, the efficiency losses detected and pinpointed within the systems can and must be corrected.
Enless Wireless provides a comprehensive solution for real-time and remote energy data collection, thanks to its various lines of sensors designed for measuring temperature, humidity, and air quality, as well as for remotely reading energy consumption data from electricity, water, gas, and energy meters.
To view our range of 169 MHz Wireless M-Bus products, visit https://enless-wireless.com/gamme-169-mhz/.
To view our LoRa(WAN) product lineup, visithttps://enless-wireless.com/lora-gamme-produits/.
To view our Sigfox product lines, visithttps://enless-wireless.com/gamme-high-power-sigfox/.
In addition to the regulatory aspect, the energy and economic benefits expected from implementing a system to automate and monitor a building’s energy performance are very real! The expected return on investment ranges from 1 to 6 years, and there are other tangible benefits, such as improved user comfort and the provision of services to occupants and building operators.
Many of Enless Wireless’s integration partners can assist you in implementing a comprehensive building automation and control system.
Please feel free to contact us at contact@enless.fr.
* Source: Wattsense (https://blog.wattsense.com/fr/gestion-du-batiment/bacs-rendus-obligatoires-pour-les-batiments-tertiaires/)
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