Alexandre Dalifard / Photo credit: Ludovic MARIN / AFP
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9:01 p.m., September 05, 2023
While President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that he wanted to renovate more than 40,000 schools in France to adapt them to climate change, Christophe Béchu, Minister for Ecological Transition, revealed the first details of the operation at the microphone of Hélène Zelany in Europe 1 Evening.
“Around one million euros per school”
“On average, when you look at the projects this year, it’s around one million euros per school. So it’s not DIY,” he said in the preamble. But concretely, what does this type of renovation consist of in schools? As in a house, it is possible to reinforce the insulation from the outside or change the frames to avoid having heat evacuated through the windows and therefore heating the schoolyard unnecessarily in the middle of winter. . “It can be blackout blinds or devices to limit the heat. It is also removing the tar in the yard, because when you put in the ground and you plant trees, you gain several degrees of temperature when it is very hot”, adds the Minister for the Ecological Transition.
According to him, the work depends on the age of the schools. Of the 44,000 in France, approximately 4,000 are new or have been the subject of recent work. “That’s why it’s a plan that concerns the other 40,000. And to be very concrete, each time, there is a steering committee, which looks at what work is needed, which involves the educational community and sometimes parents within the framework of school councils, to list the work”, notes Christophe Béchu.
An investment for the planet and purchasing power
This investment of one million euros per school is made for two reasons put forward by the former mayor of Angers. “First, we do it for the planet. We do it to avoid having greenhouse gas emissions outside, to continue consuming a lot of energy when we could better insulate buildings. And then , we do it for the purchasing power of the mayors”, assures the Minister for the Ecological Transition. Energy expenditure represents approximately 15% of municipal expenditure. “As the schools correspond to half of the buildings of our town halls, you realize the savings that it allows to make if we divide by two or three the bills by avoiding having colanders”, challenges Christophe Béchu.
Finally, the Minister for Ecological Transition assures that these renovations will improve learning conditions. “It’s much harder, if you keep your jacket on in class or you’re way too hot, to focus on what the teacher is saying. So it’s really a win-win-win. For kids, for purchasing power and for the planet”, he concludes at the microphone of Hélène Zelany.