With their almost 10 million housing units, or a quarter of French housing, condominium buildings can have an impact when it comes to environmental protection. Besides, “the subject is of interest, many co-owners ask us questions about what it is possible to do”, testifies Francis Bourriaud, president of ADB Conseils, which supports co-ownerships in their management. There are multiple levers for action.
Raising the energy performance of the building
Around 3% of greenhouse gas emissions come from condominium housing. And 63% of the 1.6 million energy-intensive homes in the private rental stock (those classified F and G in the energy performance diagnosis) are in co-ownership, according to figures from the National Energy Renovation Observatory.
Improving the energy performance of the building will make it possible to act for the climate while reducing co-ownership charges. Heating is in fact the first item of expenditure in co-ownerships when they have a collective system.
“We must first think about properly maintaining the installation so that there is no overconsumption, and not overheating the apartments. This is still too often the case.”, advises Danielle Dubrac, president of the Union of Real Estate Unions, one of the professional federations in the sector. To make housing occupants responsible, thermostatic valves can be installed on radiators and heating cost allocators (calorie counters) allowing everyone to be billed individually.
Insulating the building from the outside (when possible), changing the windows, insulating the roof are other possibilities, even if the obstacles, particularly financial, are still numerous. To facilitate energy renovation work in co-ownerships, the government is considering making the voting procedure for the work more flexible.
Condominiums wishing to do more can install thermal or photovoltaic solar panels on their roof, if the configuration is suitable. This can help power electricity in common areas, and even generate revenue, through the resale of unused electricity.
Save water
Efforts can also be made to limit the building’s consumption. Outdated installations, leaking toilets and apartments not yet equipped with individual meters often lead to overconsumption. A dripping tap is equivalent to a loss of 5 liters of water per hour, according to the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe). Maintaining networks and repairing leaks allows you to avoid a lot of damage at the same time: “80% of co-ownership losses are due to water damage”deplores Marie-Noëlle Mine, insurance consultant and trainer.
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