Efficient renovations to save energy in our social dwellings

March 2019 – 280 social housing units in Grenoble have been renovated thanks to the European project City-zen, financed by the European Commission and managed by the Mission Ville de Demain of the City of Grenoble. These renovations were carried out in the Mistral, Saint-Bruno and Teisseire-Malherbes districts, in partnership with local social housing authorities (Actis, Grenoble Habitat, Pluralis). The objective is to improve the energy performance of high energy consuming social housing through efficient thermal renovation.

If the work has not yet been completed, the biggest steps of the works have been achieved: thermal insulation, renovation of external facades, installation of double windows, connection to the district heating network, installation of communicating counters to control and monitor individual energy consumption… These renovations were accompanied by work to embellish the common areas (entrance halls, stairs, elevators), but also works to repair the interior of the housing, with the choice given to tenants (changing paint, furniture, bathrooms etc.)

199 housing units renovated in the three towers in Paul Mistral

52 renovated units in Clément Bayard, Chorier-Berriat district

Following these renovations, a team of agents from the City of Grenoble carried out a sociological survey designed by the Technical University of Delft. The objective was to meet the inhabitants and ask them about their experiences and feelings. Age, number of children, personality, travel habits, water consumption, heating, electricity, vision of the environment and their neighbourhood, etc. The questions aimed to draw up a profile of the inhabitants, to know their consumption habits and to know if the renovation work had an impact on them. Analysis and synthesis will then be carried out to improve future European projects on the energy transition. This field survey work also allowed the inhabitants to share their first impressions and remarks on the evolution of their housing after renovation. It appears that these works, considered necessary to achieve real energy performance, greatly improve their daily environment in terms of comfort and aesthetics. Some adjustments are still to be made, but these renovations suggest a reduction in energy consumption and therefore in the tenants’ bills!

The team of investigators in charge of door-to-door interviews with tenants in renovated buildings