On Thursday March 30, 2023, Emmanuel Macron went to the Hautes-Alpes to present the government’s “water plan”. Indeed, faced with episodes of drought in summer, then in winter, the drinking water reserves are very low. Last month, the Info Sécheresse site noted a very low level of groundwater in many departments. Nearly 39 departments were concerned as of March 6, 2023. As of April 3, 2023, 29 are still at a very low level. The many bad weather in March made it possible to level off this level of drinking water for certain regions.
For others, the risk of water shortages this summer had already led to restrictions being put in place. Indeed, on March 6, the Minister for Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, and the Secretary of State to the Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion in charge of Ecology, Bérangère Couillard met with the prefects to announce partial restrictions in six departments. Among them, the Pyrénées-Orientales and Ain. The Minister then already announced the possibility of a generalization of these measures.
Thus, during this trip to Savines-le-Lac in the Hautes-Alpes, Emmanuel Macron announced the 53 measures of his water plan to avoid future water shortages this summer. Among them, the launch of an “Ecowatt of water” and a forecast of 10% water savings by 2030, as reported by Ouest-France. A week later, it was the turn of the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, to present the energy sobriety plan, the second part of the energy sobriety plan, the first of which was presented last October.
Indeed, on October 6, 2022, Elisabeth Borne presented the energy sobriety plan, broadcast on the government website. The objective was to anticipate energy shortages, in particular electricity or gas. The Russian invasion of Ukraine was one of the reasons for this sobriety plan. A few months later, new measures are therefore presented to companies to reduce energy consumption. Five key measures are announced there.
This Monday, April 3, Agnès Pannier-Runacher brought together nearly sixty of the most important companies at the Hôtel de Roquelaure in the 7th arrondissement, as Le Parisien points out. The objective was to encourage companies to continue their efforts. As indicated by the Ministry of Energy Transition, the Minister began by congratulating the companies for the measures already put in place but underlined the need to intensify them.
Thus, the Minister recalled that we must “achieve a 40% reduction in our energy consumption by 2050 and achieve our climate objectives”. She recalls in particular the achievement of the 10% reduction which had been set in October 2022. “But we must not let our guard down”, she specifies. “It is a climate imperative. And it is in this respect that I ask companies to go even further,” she concludes.
Thus, the objective is to “anchor sobriety in time”. The government then wishes to set objectives defined in figures. This would make it possible to observe the evolution of the reduction in energy consumption. These objectives would then be validated by administrative institutions, such as the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee.
These will then be published on the internet or a dedicated platform. The measures presented will therefore not be the last and others could follow in the coming months or years. But, what are the concrete measures that could concern you?
One of the most important measures corresponds to the speed limit on French motorways. Indeed, the minister asks employees to lower their speed and drive at a maximum of 110 km / h on the highway. It therefore concerns employees “during their working time and in the context of their business trips”. The latter would allow them to participate in the collective effort to reduce energy consumption.
This measure has already been taken for state agents. It also recalls “the importance of lowering fuel consumption, the only ones not having decreased in 2022 compared to 2021”. It also counts on the promotion of other means of transport such as carpooling, for example.
“Well organised, telework does indeed make it possible to make significant energy savings”, she recalls afterwards. The Minister had commissioned a study on the effects of telework on energy consumption. A five-month experiment was set up in collaboration with Ademe and the French Institute for Building Performance (IFPEB). This assessment would have shown the benefits of teleworking on energy consumption, especially when the latter is organised.
Last point addressed by the Minister: the air conditioning cannot be used when it is less than 26 degrees. This measure was already applied during the summer of 2022. In addition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher asked companies to control their “energy expenditure related to the ventilation of buildings”.
