Lead in water
The maximum level of lead in drinking water has been 25µg/l since 24 December 2003 but will be lowered to 10µg/l on 24 December 2013: any lead piping will make compliance with this level impossible.

Accessibility “for all handicaps” for establishments open to the public
Two important dates:
 1 January 2010 and 2011
to identify the works required
 31 December 2014
to complete the works.

The “Grenelle de l’environnement” and work on improving insulation in tertiary buildings
The Grenelle II law will outline the methods for meeting the obligation to improve energy performance of existing buildings as contained in the Grenelle I law. The tenor of this new law is not yet known, but it will very probably be a question of respecting a maximum consumption calculated on the basis of a yet to be decided method. It will involve work on the weaker parts of the shell and on heat or cold production.

Energy economy certificates (Certificats d’Economie d’Energie - CEE)
Energy improvement work may allow energy economy certificates to be awarded. This relatively new topic should be included in the decision making process.

Increase in energy costs
Apart from the purely regulatory aspects, it should be remembered that the energy market will be liberalised next year (it is currently regulated). After the loss leader prices to attract new customers, there will probably be a significant increase in energy prices. Reducing consumption will then no longer be a regulatory constraint, but an operational necessity. After the “social divide” experts fear an “energy divide”.

The market competition from future BBC and BEPOS* buildings
The 2012 insulation regulations are expected to be published in the next few weeks. They will come into force 12 months after publication. It means that building permits for tertiary buildings applied for at the end of 2010 / beginning of 2011 will have to comply with performance levels that are equivalent to today’s BBC, i.e. 50% of the RT 2005 reference consumption (i.e. 50 kW / m² / year). For a project currently under consideration therefore, it would be realistic to envisage this level immediately.

The trend will not come to an end in 2012. We are already talking about passive buildings (under 15 kW / m² /year for heating). BEPOS buildings will be standard in 2020.

Existing buildings will face increasing competition from these new buildings. How can a building with mediocre performances in terms of the comfort and health of its occupants be improved?

* Bâtiments Basse Consommation énergétique (low-consumption buildings) - Bâtiments à Energie POSitive (positive energy buildings)

How do we react?
Certainly not by undertaking works as and when the deadlines arise. Mere sufferance of the situation should make way for establishing an active strategy that “exploits constraints” building by building.

Your building is already there, it may or may not be occupied, its location, design and technical characteristics are particular to it: whatever needs to be done must be put in perspective in order to ensure a coherent strategy.

This presupposes prior knowledge of the building’s qualities and defects, in particular its size, its positioning in relation to the future needs and demands of its occupants, the need for replacements, etc.

In this period of profound change, ALAMO is keeping a close watch on the regulatory and technological aspects and is alert to any developments in the environmental mood. ALAMO has the expertise and the necessary resources to support you in your improvement strategy.