Elisabeth Borne wants to lead by example. In a circular addressed to her ministers on Tuesday July 26, which franceinfo was able to consult, the resident of Matignon puts in place a series of measures aimed at “reducing energy consumption and accelerating the exit from fossil fuels”. “International Tensions” generated in particular by the war in Ukraine “as well as the unavailability of part of the French nuclear fleet imposes an unprecedented effort on us in terms of energy sobriety”explains the Prime Minister, responsible for energy planning.
“These measures are necessary, not only to improve our energy sobriety, but also for the sake of setting an example and acceptability of the efforts that are required of society as a whole.”
Elisabeth Borne, Prime Ministera document to AFP
Sunday, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Energy Transition, announced upcoming decrees to force air-conditioned stores to close and reduce illuminated advertising.
Public administrations, ministries, decentralized State services, public operators, and establishments open to the public are thus requested to use air conditioning only when the interior temperature exceeds 26°C, not to leave electronic devices on standby, and systematically turning off lights when not needed.
The Prime Minister also asks the administrations to equip the buildings with thermostats, to activate the heating only when the temperature of the offices is below 19°C, to close the access doors to the buildings open to the public when the air conditioning or the heating is on. In terms of travel, the head of government also wants “encouraging sustainable mobility practices” such as carpooling, shared bikes and access to electric or very low-emission vehicles.
Finally, it asks the administrations to propose “ministerial plans for energy sobriety and exemplary”. Any difficulty in implementing these measures may be reported to Agnès Pannier-Runacher, and to the Minister of Transformation and the Public Service, Olivier Dussopt. The government recently announced that it wants to reduce energy consumption in France by 10% within two years compared to 2019.