Since the DEET (Décret Eco Energie Tertiaire) came into force on October1, 2019, players in the tertiary sector have been obliged to install energy-efficient devices in their relevant outlets in order to combat climate change.
The decree's objectives are to " reduce the final energy consumption of the entire tertiary sector by at least -40% by 2030, -50% by 2040 and -60% by 2050 (compared with 2010) ".
This decree is part of a global approach to corporate social responsibility, which aims to make companies more aware of the environmental and social impact of their activities.
ADEME (Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Energie) in its 2018 Climat & Energie report points out that "tertiary buildings account for 973.4 million m2 in France, or more than a third of the building sector's energy consumption".
Proposed solutions
Faced with this stark reality, companies are demanding greater commitment. To this end, energy management roles have been emerging within companies for several years now.
Energy management is defined as " actions taken by companies and local authorities to improve their energy performance. An energy management system makes it possible to solve the complex energy budget equation (...) ".
Engie, France's leading energy supplier, has developed the system around 4 actions:
- Analyze and optimize energy consumption
- Control expenses
- Reduce your carbon footprint
- Raising employee awareness of eco-actions
A number of measures are recommended to improve energy performance in retail outlets. In view of the above figures, the main areas of expenditure(lighting, heating, ventilation/air conditioning and refrigeration) have been the subject of decrees designed to institutionalize best practices and make businesses more responsible for their energy consumption.
In her article Plan d'Économie d'Énergie pour les magasins: Quelles mesures mettre en place? Elodie Guillard points out that "in France, a heating limit of 19ºC is stipulated in article R241-26 of the Energy Code. Similarly, an article in Decree 2007-363 stipulates that air conditioning must only be used when the interior temperature of the premises exceeds 26 degrees ".
With regard to lighting, article R581-59 requires lights to be switched off when the outlet's activity stops. As for cold production, Franck Charton of Perifem, points out that "we were a world forerunner when, in 2012, we signed an agreement with the Ministry to install closing doors on refrigeration units. Since then, 75% of our units have been closed in this way, saving 50% of their energy ".
ISO 50001 certification, published on June 15, 2011, is a response to the need for organizations to adopt an energy efficiency approach. Certified stores have thus successfully met the various award criteria.
Actions taken by retail players
We'll be highlighting initiatives by retailers who have succeeded in controlling energy performance in their stores.
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Picard
ISO50001 certified for all its outlets since 2015, the leader frozen food brand has been pursuing an enhanced CSR policy for the past decade, one that is delivering results.
Indeed, to improve its energy footprint, Picard has implemented innovative in-store technologies. Self-defrosting freezers, free-cooling (using outside air to cool its freezers) or the water loop... In 2015, in its Rueil Malmaison "laboratory store", the use of the latter, resulted in an overall energy saving of 40%.
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Carrefour
French supermarket giant Carrefour has also been taking energy-saving initiatives at point-of-sale for the past ten years. In his article, Carrefour first French retailer to receive ISO50001 certification, Yves Puget explains that " as early as 2004, the implementation of a centralized technical management system (GTC) was aimed at controlling the energy used by refrigeration, lighting, air conditioning/heating, ovens and rotisseries ". Heat recovery, the installation of low-energy lighting and the closure of furniture containing fresh produce enabled the chain to be certified ISO5001 in 2015 by AFNOR.
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Leroy Merlin
Leroy Merlin, leader in DIY and home furnishings, has obtained certification for its outlet in Saint-Louis, on Reunion Island. The store's management controller, Pierre Henry PERIOT, explains to Leader Reunion magazine that energy-saving measures at the outlet were carried out on the air-conditioning and lighting systems. The store has also installed photovoltaic panels on its roof to produce energy autonomously.
Although corporate social responsibility has been in place in all industries for some thirty years, a number of factors have led to increased initiative in recent years: the climate crisis, which is strongly reflected on social networks, a stronger demand for corporate commitment on the part of consumers, and legal obligations.
In response to the collective demand to save energy, highlighting CSR actions carried out at point-of-sale enables us to see how microsocial actions have repercussions on a macrosocial scale.
By Cira Diagana