The BACS (Building Automation and Control Systems) decree came into force this summer.
In broad terms, it requires:
- The continuous and automated control of equipment dedicated to Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Heating (HVAC),
- On tertiary buildings, both new and old,
- That use HVAC equipment with a nominal power greater than 290 kW,
- With an immediate effect for buildings whose Building Permit is subsequent to the publication of the decree, and compliance to be expected by January 1, 2025 for the others.
In this article, we propose to decode the issues and detail its scope.
Origin of the BACS decree
Decree No. 2020-887 of July 20, 2020, known as the “BACS decree” has been in force since July 21, 2021. It is a transposition into French law of Articles 8, 14 and 15 of European Directive 2010/31/EU of May 30, 2010, relating to the Energy Performance of Buildings.
It concerns buildings for tertiary use, commercial or not. That is to say, offices (including the offices of an industrial or agri-food company), hotels, shopping centers, healthcare establishments, business parks, etc.
The BACS decree requires the installation of automation and control systems and automatic temperature regulation on equipment with a nominal power greater than 290 kW.
The equipment in question is heating or air conditioning systems, whether or not combined with a ventilation system.
Why target HVAC equipment management?
Energy consumption related to thermal regulation of buildings traditionally represents more than 50% of a building’s consumption. Sometimes up to ⅔ of annual consumption in energy-intensive buildings and/or buildings with poorly adjusted equipment.
Poor adjustments include equipment that operates at full capacity even when the building is unoccupied. Or non-optimized setpoint temperatures. This is an opportunity to point out that one degree less heating in winter – or cooling in summer – represents 7% energy savings.
What does the sizing of the equipment covered by the BACS decree correspond to?
It is very likely that you will find equipment of 290 kW or more from the moment the building is larger than 5,000 sqm. Be careful, however, it is quite possible that smaller premises (2,000 or 3,000 sqm) are equipped with HVAC equipment subject to the decree.
Indeed, the sizing of thermal regulation equipment is directly linked to:
- The energy performance of the building itself. The older your building, the less efficient it is a priori if it has not been renovated (the thermal regulations in force at the time of its construction/renovation are an important indicator), and the more power it requires to be heated.
- The climatic harshness of the area (and the altitude) where it is built. Indeed, the further the outside temperature is from the desired inside temperature (and the higher the building is built), the more energy is required to reach this temperature.
ZOOM: How to estimate the nominal power of existing HVAC equipment?
Do you want to quickly estimate which buildings in your portfolio are potentially affected?
We offer you a small simplified calculation.
To find the Power (P) of your equipment, you can use the formula: P = V x D x IC
where:
- V is the Volume of your building. To obtain it quickly, you can multiply its surface area by 2.5 (corresponding to 2.5 m of ceiling height)
- D is the Difference between the lowest winter outdoor temperature and the desired indoor temperature (usually 19°C). Roughly speaking, you can take 15°C, 20°C or 25°C as a reference depending on whether the building is in a mild, temperate or cold climate.
- IC is the Insulation Coefficient of your building. A coefficient that is between 1 and 2 depending on the quality of its insulation (often dependent on the thermal regulations to which it was subjected at the time of its construction/renovation) and its size. To clarify, you can use the simplified matrix below:
Building surface area | < 5.000 sqm | > 5.000 sqm |
| Good insulation (walls + ceilings + doors) ~ RT 2012 | IC = 1,1 | IC =1,0 |
| Average insulation (walls + ceilings) ~ RT 2005 | IC = 1,5 | IC = 1,3 |
| Low insulation (walls) | IC = 2,0 | IC = 1,8 |
For our 5,000 sqm building built in a temperate zone, with average insulation (RT 2005):
P = (5000*2.5)*20*1.3 = 325 kW
The BACS decree: For whom? By when? What exceptions?
As we have seen, the BACS decree concerns tertiary buildings, whose HVAC equipment has a nominal power greater than 290 kW.
The legal entity subject to this is the owner(s) of the equipment. This may therefore be the lessor or the lessee, depending on the case. In any case, it is in both cases’ interest to discuss the subject together, since the common objectives of the tertiary decree will have to be achieved in any case.
The owner of the equipment has until 1 January 2025 to equip it with an automation and control system, unless it can be demonstrated that its implementation would have a return on investment of more than 6 years.
The spirit of the BACS decree in summary
The BACS decree therefore establishes an obligation of means by imposing the management of the most energy-consuming equipment. In doing so, it clearly designates the monitoring of HVAC equipment as an important lever for energy performance.
It thus strengthens the tertiary decree, or tertiary eco-energy system, focused on an obligation of results. As a reminder, the tertiary decree applies to all tertiary premises of more than 1,000 m², for which it aims to reduce energy consumption (-40% from 2030, then -50% and -60% in 2040 and 2050).
The BACS decree therefore mechanically affects fewer buildings than the tertiary decree (which concerns 70% of the French tertiary stock according to ADEME). However, it gives the spirit of what must be implemented to achieve the objective of reducing energy consumption:
- Know your consumption continuously, in particular for the most energy-intensive uses, first and foremost, thermal regulation,
- Be able to act quickly on the adjustment of equipment and adapt thermal instructions to the real context of the building.
Ultimately, these are good practices in terms of energy efficiency, which are worth implementing, regardless of the size and use of a building – if only to meet the requirements of the tertiary decree.
Good practices that can be generalized at a lower cost by deploying iQspot in your buildings. A solution that is highly acclaimed by our customers, who particularly appreciate:
- Knowledge of consumption in real time,
- Their ongoing analysis and the associated adjustment recommendations,
- As well as automatic alerts sent directly to managers and technicians in the field in the event of an anomaly.
Are you looking for a simple, effective and quick solution to implement? Do not hesitate to contact us.
