Article

Tertiary decree: Publication of the decree on absolute values IV: key takeaways4 June 2024

On 14 February 2024, the decree on absolute values IV was published in the Official Journal, which specifies the energy performance levels to be achieved by 2030 for certain categories of activities.

As a reminder, the tertiary decree of 23 July 2019 requires tertiary buildings larger than 1,000 m² to reduce their energy consumption by -40% by 2030, -50% by 2040 and -60% by 2050.

"The tertiary decree of 23 July 2019 requires tertiary buildings larger than 1,000 m² to reduce their energy consumption by -40% by 2030, -50% by 2040 and -60% by 2050."

To achieve these targets, taxable persons can choose between two methods:

successively achieve a reduction in consumption of -40%, -50%, then -60% on the basis of a reference year which cannot be earlier than 2010; or
meet a minimum level of performance, expressed in absolute value (in kWh/m²/year) according to the characteristics of the building and its sector of activity.

The absolute values to be achieved by 2030 have already been the subject of several decrees for the following sectors of activity: offices and public services, educational buildings (nursery, primary, middle school, high school), cold storage buildings, the hotel sector, tourist residences, vacation villages or holiday clubs, as well as restaurants and drinking establishments, server rooms and IT operations centers.

Absolute Values IV defines the objectives expressed in absolute values for the following categories of activities:

(i) room temperature logistics,
(ii) industrial laundries,
(iii) hospitals,
(iv) correctional facilities,
(v) medico-social establishments (in particular nursing homes),
(vi) child welfare services, sports and
(vii) parking facilities.

This decree also defines a number of useful concepts such as (i) the reference year, (ii) the energy consumption surface area, (iii) the reference energy consumption, (iv) the level of consumption expressed in relative value (denoted Crelat), (v) the level of consumption expressed in absolute value (denoted Cabs), (vi) the technical file, (vi) the collection and monitoring platform and (vii) the benchmark.

It also specifies that the reference year is between 2010 and 2022 and that, in the absence of information relating to the reference year before 30 September 2027, the reference consumption corresponds to the consumption of the first full year of operation, the energy consumption of which is reported on the OPERAT platform.

The decree on absolute values V relating to commercial, cultural and transport activities will be the final piece of the structure.

< Back to insights hub