[The testimonies: Is it CUBE or not CUBE?] DALKIA Europe Tour, a high-rise certified building

Cube2020 is the contest for use and energy savings organised by IFPEB. For 1 year, users of candidate buildings commit to reducing their energy consumption, mobilising their teams on the challenge of an efficient building and carrying out awareness-raising actions. Candidates from the DALKIA Europe Tour give their feedbacks on the contest. 

Their objectives for 2017

The target for 2017 was set at 10 % savings (CUBE Bronze Medal 2020). The financial savings were to be donated to Roland Jourdain’s Explore Foundation (a partner of Dalkia for several years).

After one year, the results are there: 9.6% gross savings corresponding to 6.7% "CUBE2020" climate-adjusted savings... and a cheque of 4,000 € for Explore.

What they did in the year

Technical Aspects

• Idea box allowing ambassadors to track down ideas for technical optimisation;
• Optimisation of the time scheduling of certain equipment (fan coil units, collective printers, traffic lighting);
• Adjustment of presence detection cafeteria / traffic / meeting rooms;
• Disconnection of decorative lighting (neon lights between traffic and offices);

On the Awareness side

• Launch of the competition during the greetings at the beginning of the year from our Regional Director
• Creation of a project team of 6 representatives from the communication, operations and marketing sectors who lead, stimulate the competition and interact with IFPEB (reference period / results)
• Appointment of 18 ambassadors (2 per floor) with 4 ambassadors meetings during the year (role, technical functioning of the installations, use of space in terms of energy, feedback, assistance with arguments, etc.).
• Monthly communication of results (display in the print space / cafeteria + screens in lifts)
• Inter-storey challenge (podium of the 3 floors with the highest energy savings over the month)
• 2 T°C reading periods + awareness of each individual / shared office (ideal setting T°C/ventilation speed, turning off the light when leaving, closing the doors to avoid activating presence detections, etc.)
• Local awareness meetings on certain floors.

Communicate through the floor ambassadors

Communication with the 450 employees was organised around an inter-floor challenge. Result at the end of the competition: the 26th floor was leading, the DESC floor (for Dalkia Energy Saving Centre: Dalkia's regional energy management centre); for once the shoemakers are the best shod. Second is the 23rd floor occupied by the Commercial Tertiary Direction (fortunately!) and finally the last place on the podium, the 22nd floor, the one of the great chef.

The ambassadors - 2 per floor - had a major role to play in mobilising colleagues and regularly checking that the recommended actions were being implemented by everyone.

The limits of the tenant's energy optimisation

Dalkia is a tenant. The "CUBIC" scope focused on measured energy consumption, i.e. "private" uses: additional heating (fan coil heating coil), lighting, IT and telecommunications. On the first day of the competition, the evaluation of the winnings became more complex due to the owner's decision to modify the hygienic air supply temperature: from 22°C to 18°C. These 4°C lower common charges have in fact weighed on private heating consumption. A correction made it possible to adjust the reference consumption but it affected our ability to carry out precise analyses on over-consumption. We'll do better next year!