By helping to control energy demand, energy efficiency contributes to the balance of the electricity network. Set to become the norm in the years to come, it must be considered as a social issue as much as a source of savings on the electricity bill. This is the message from EDF Réunion to win over professionals to the cause of energy management (MDE) through its service offering.
If there is an area where particular interest meets the general interest, it’s good energy control. In the age of corporate social responsibility (RSE), implement MDE solutions, it’s not just about substantially reducing your electricity bills, it means demonstrating responsibility and citizenship by helping to ensure the public electricity service of which EDF Réunion is the manager. Olivier Meyrueis, regional director of the key energy distribution operator, draws a parallel with waste : “Everyone finds normal the collective effort of sorting their waste and thus contributing, through recycling, to the ecological transition. It’s the same thing with energy savings. : in addition to saving us money, this effort is necessary to flatten the growth curve of energy needs. Tangible results have already been achieved. » And Olivier Meyrueis reminds us that EDF Réunion is not only a network manager. “We have solutions to offer individuals and businesses to support them in the energy transition. »
Energy efficiency in figures
In 2020, the energy saving obtained thanks to the MDE was 29 GWh, including 16 GWh thanks to actions among individuals and 11 GWh among professionals. This result must however be qualified because activity in 2020 was strongly marked by the Covid crisis. EDF plans to reach 50 GWh avoided by the end of 2021, which represents the consumption of 14,000 households. A power saved that may seem modest compared to the 3000 GWh of electricity production in Reunion, but which contributes in an essential way to controlling the growth in electricity consumption of an autonomous island network which must be self-sufficient and in all situations. MDE is in everyone’s interest. Driven by economic development and demographics, electricity consumption increased in Réunion by 7% per year, 20 years ago. Ten years later, this rate had fallen between 2% and 3% per year while economic development and demographics continued to grow.. It has remained at the same level until today.. The health crisis and confinement alone do not explain the drop of 2,3% of electricity consumption recorded in 2020 : the MDE and its part. The MDE is also in everyone’s interest. An agri-food company from the South reviews its industrial process by integrating MDE solutions. Gain : 160,000 euros per year on his EDF bill. Economy for a large area, consumer of electricity in air conditioning and refrigeration furniture, is valued between 30,000 and 50,000 euros per year. 30 000 euros, this is the amount saved by the Village by CA with the installation of various materials. Another EDF Réunion customer setting an example, Roland-Garros airport. reduced their electricity bill by 30%. In its forecasts EDF Réunion estimates that by 2028, the MDE alone will have made it possible to avoid 8% of energy consumption.
SOLUTIONS AND A SPECIALIZED TEAM AT THE SERVICE OF PROFESSIONALS
Building insulation, cold food, industrial cold, efficient electric motor, etc. : within the Energy Efficiency department of EDF Réunion, five business managers, distributed by sectors of activity (communities, commerce, industry, collective residential…), advise businesses on ways to save energy.
Two main types of support are offered to professionals in the tertiary sector and industry. To encourage them to take action, the main tool today is the territorial compensation framework of Réunion, which is also aimed at individuals. It encourages investments in MDE materials and works. EDF Réunion carries this system which also brings together the DEAL, the Réunion Region and ADEME within an MDE Committee deciding on the allocation of “standard” and “non-standard” financial aid. The Framework applies a fixed bonus procedure to the acquisition of more efficient equipment and investment in building improvement, mainly solar protection and thermal insulation work. Alongside this “standard” offer, a tailor-made offer aimed at businesses, by further integrating, notably, the implementation of efficient solutions specific to their activity. In both cases, standard and tailor-made, EDF Réunion puts its expertise and resources at the service of professionals : help in defining needs and making decisions, facilitated relationship with design offices (EDF Réunion works with a pool of design offices), monitoring of files giving access to financial aid, control of the realization of planned investments, but also the proper functioning of the equipment and the quality of the work carried out. The cost of technical studies is also financially supported elsewhere (up to 50% to 70% of the cost for small businesses). Since its implementation in 2019, the compensation framework made it possible to avoid 63 GWh of electricity consumption per year, all sectors combined.
Convention d’effacement : call for volunteering
EDF Réunion activated the call for erasure 34 times in 2020, which made it possible to lighten the network by 571 MWh . Shedding consists of reducing electricity consumption seen from the network for a given time (usually 4 hours). EDF Réunion uses this solution in the event of tension on the network (during periods of peak power demand or due to an incident…) The erasure is contractualized between the professional customer and EDF Réunion. The customer undertakes to reduce the network by a certain level of power when EDF requests it.. Some large electricity consumers who have an alternative production group are interested. The remuneration for erasure includes a fixed part and a variable part. The fixed part takes into account the urgency of the request : 8,000 euros per MW can be erased if the company is notified the day before ; 16,000 euros if notified within the previous three hours. Paid 170 euros per MWh erased, the variable part depends on the power of the relief. EDF Réunion is today launching a new call for volunteers to develop “this valuable flexibility tool”. The objective is to achieve a demand response capacity of 25 MW by 2023. There are currently 12 erasure conventions, it would take twice as much to achieve this.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY REQUIRED BY LAW
Arising from the ELAN law of 2019, the so-called “tertiary” decree imposes a reduction in the energy consumption of tertiary buildings by at least 40% in 2030, 50% in 2040 and 60% in 2050.
This concerns tertiary buildings with a surface area greater than 1,000 m². In other words, hotels, offices, shops, school buildings, université, administrative buildings, etc. Owners or operators have until September 30, 2022 to communicate the energy consumption data of their buildings on the “Operate” digital platform managed by ADEME.. The absence of this transmission will be punishable by formal notice followed by public denunciation of the “name and shame” type.. To achieve the objective of reducing energy consumption, two possibilities : calculate the reduction compared to the chosen reference year (which cannot be earlier than 2010), or reach a final consumption threshold expressed in absolute value. Absolute values by activity categories are also set by regulations. Failure to comply with the obligation on the due date will be punishable by a fine. : the amount provided per building is currently 1,500 euros for natural persons and 7,500 euros for legal entities. As a reminder, the tertiary sector represents 40% of energy consumption in Réunion. Au plan national, it represents 25% of built-up area and is responsible for 33% of greenhouse gas emissions.
PROFESSIONAL CONTACT :
Elsa Kancel, Business Market Energy Efficiency Manager at EDF Réunion : 0692 72 17 70 – elsa.kancel@edf.fr
