Building: the Grenelle
becomes a label
 

The Grenelle Environment Forum continues its path. Thus, he created the label "Grenelle Recognized," which allows individuals to see more clearly among the companies that perform work on improving the energy performance of buildings.

Names, labels, brands, qualifications and certifications: in the jungle signs of quality businesses and building professionals, individuals can easily get lost. To see more clearly, the ADEME and the Ministry of Environment created in November 2011, at the BATIMAT, the label "Grenelle Recognized."

Indeed, quality criteria of green building can cover several points: construction quality, energy performance and environmental qualities. So far, a federation of builders had his own label and blow its own repository, which complicated the choice of consumers when choosing a responsible company.

To simplify this research, the Grenelle has established a quality charter signed by a lot of these federations, which are CAPEB (Confederation of Crafts and Small Business Building), FFB (French Building Federation), Qualibat associations, and Qualit'EnR Qualifelec. The charter defined the minimum requirements for recognizing the quality of a company that improves the energy performance of a building or in the installation of renewable energy equipment.

What are these works? As part of improving energy supply, installation of insulation, exterior joinery, installation of heating, ventilation etc.. And as regards renewable energy, it is installing solar panels, all types of non-reversible heat pumps, heaters wood, etc.

According to Qualibat, the mention "Grenelle Recognized" refers to the time that the signatories of the charter and should be extended in 2013 to all building professionals who meet the requirements of the charter. Ultimately, this approach could be extended to other types of businesses such as the prime contractor or sectors of the community buildings and tertiary.

But the challenge of this new label will be especially vital for businesses because it may condition public subsidies that firms receive today the partner of the state, local and ADEME.

Federica Quaglia