It is a surprising request to say the least that was proposed to the inhabitants of this building in Brignais in the Rhône. In a letter posted on the front door of this four-storey building, the Opac (low-cost housing organization) of the Rhône explains that the soaring cost of electricity is causing a significant increase in the costs of the parties. municipalities. To deal with this, the HLM office asks tenants to… limit the use of the elevator.
In this building in Brignais in the Rhône, the HLM office asks residents not to take the elevator.
Photo credits: Jean-Luc Boujon
“A lift trip costs about €0.10. If you use your lift a few hundred times a day, this represents a cost that is not negligible”, explains Xavier Inglebert, the general manager of the Opac du Rhone. But there is no question of depriving the inhabitants of the system: “Naturally for the elderly, for people with reduced mobility, for mums and dads who have a stroller or a basket of groceries, it goes without saying that it is necessary take the elevator. But, for the others, it is part of the small efforts possible”, he assures.
“We are not children”
If the HLM office tries to put the forms, this request is not necessarily very well accepted by the tenants. “It’s not normal, it’s essential. And saving only ten cents per elevator ride is not a lot. I don’t necessarily agree with taking people who live there hostage. “, explains a resident.
“It’s abused, we’re not children. Before thinking about elevators, they should look at the building’s underground car park. It’s on 24 hours a day,” said another tenant. An idea on which the Opac will quickly look. The agency has already launched a major energy sobriety plan to face the winter. The Opac du Rhône asks tenants to limit the use of lighting and will reduce the duration of timers, in order to reduce the EDF bill by 20%.