France: the government wants to force air-conditioned stores to keep their doors closed

Air-conditioned stores will soon be required to close their doors to reduce their energy consumption.

AP - Christophe Ena

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

The Minister for Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher announced this Sunday, July 24, forthcoming decrees to force air-conditioned stores to close their doors and reduce illuminated advertising, largely drawing inspiration for advertising from already existing regulations. and poorly applied.

Advertising

Read more

Social partners, shopping centers or local authorities will have to explain to the government this fall how they intend to reduce their energy consumption.

Already, a practice has been pointed out at RMC by Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the Minister for Energy Transition. 

“ 

Air-conditioning large retailers

and leaving the doors open means 20% more energy consumption,

” says the Minister.

I will take in the next few days a decree which prohibits these practices of opening of the doors when one heats or one air-conditions a store.

We will do a lot of pedagogy with Olivia Grégoire, but then we will not refrain from sanctioning

”.

The measure already taken in Lyon, Besançon or Paris will therefore be generalized and the fine may go up to 750 euros.

Agnès Pannier Runacher insists on the importance for traders to apply this rule collectively.

If in a street all the stores are closed, then customers will continue to enter the stores

 ”.

Switching off illuminated advertisements

Another decree must generalize the extinction of illuminated advertisements between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. under penalty of a fine of 1,500 euros except in stations and airports.

This already exists in part of the territory.

In addition, the law already obliges to turn off illuminated signs and windows at night, but the device is poorly applied. 

The Citizens' Climate Convention was also much more ambitious.

She had proposed the prohibition of advertising screens in public space.

►Also read: Heat wave and air conditioner: a harmful cocktail for the climate

The ministry was unable to specify the content of the next decree on Sunday, but explains that it will aim to "

 harmonize the rules 

", without specifying the number of agglomerations today covered by a local advertising regulation (RLP) nor concretely how controls and sanctions will be implemented.

The contours will be specified

 " when the decree comes out, " 

the idea is really that this should be applicable now 

," added the ministry.

Today, non-compliance with the regulations, which have existed since 2013, is not sanctioned very much.

The challenge remains to enforce these texts by those who have public responsibility for them: local authorities and the State 

", recently commented the ANPCEN association, which fights against light pollution.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • France

  • Environment

  • Emmanuel Macron