Subject file #2 Decarbonising buildings - Section 4: Inventing a 360° renovation service

FEMAT is a distributor of green solutions for building renovations, with a historic focus on residential renovation. How did you approach the tertiary renovation market? 

Regulations have recently been introduced covering energy renovation in the tertiary sector, obliging building owners to reduce their energy consumption, but these have not been accompanied by support mechanisms such as the Ma Prime Rénov grants available in the residential sector. While Ma Prime Rénov has been a significant obstacle to the deployment of renovations in private homes due to its constant changes, its complexity and the low level of incentives offered by the system, there was no equivalent for tertiary buildings.  
As we had developed a certain expertise in ESCs, and we had a technical design office in the FEMAT group and a group of solution supplier partners, the idea of offering a global service arose to meet the needs of landlords or owners of tertiary properties.  

What are the specific features of this offer?

The basic principle is that it adapts to individual circumstances, taking users' exact needs into account. A tertiary company might want to carry out energy renovations to improve the comfort of the building's users, to reduce consumption for the long term or just to satisfy regulatory requirements. We start by questioning what is required. Our added value is that we operate as a trusted third party. We don't seek to impose any specific solution – we identify the best response based on the customer's needs and financial capacity in the short and medium term. For our customers, this is a new and very reassuring way of thinking about and approaching energy renovations.  

We carry out an in-depth audit of the building to identify sources of energy loss and, depending on the goals we have established together, we oversee the whole implementation process with our installers and the solutions we sell. We also take care of the ESC aspect, which, although it remains difficult to grasp, guarantees a significant financial contribution to the work carried out.  
With this global service, a company might decide following the audit to just install a technical building management system, introducing new rules such as a lower level of lighting or a reduction in the ambient temperature, or it might commit to a more comprehensive project involving insulation, ventilation or the heating system. 

How do you promote this service? What mechanisms do you use to publicise it?

First, our base is a 1300 m² passive building that acts as a showcase for our solutions. Our thinking was based on the need to find new methods that would enable everyone involved in tertiary energy renovations to come together, communicate and upgrade their skills collectively, because there was no dedicated system for doing it.  

That’s why we set up the Ateliers des Pros professional workshops eight months ago. Every month, we organise get-togethers at our head office based on questions we are asked by players in the sector, whether they are landlords, building owners, industrial solution manufacturers or installers. We have already looked at BMS, the requirements of the BACS decree and concrete examples of renovations with the associated energy and financial savings. These rich discussions encourage shared growth and development that make it easier to take action. The feedback from our partners has been very positive.  

Energy renovation requires a more holistic vision, the sharing of knowledge and experience, and appropriate support, and we believe that creating these conditions is part of our role.  
 

To find out more or take part in the Ateliers des Pros, visit https://go.femat.fr/contact-femat or femat.fr