The Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès PANNIER-RUNACHER, and the Minister of Culture, Rima ABDUL MALAK, have convened the working group of cultural actors within the framework of Act 2 of the energy sobriety plan.

 

The cultural sector now accounts for about 2% of France’s total energy consumption, to which must be added the consumption related to travel by artists, works but also of the public which represent the first item of energy consumption of the sector.

The tensions on energy faced by the world of culture, especially in places receiving public and the challenge of decarbonizing the economy are major challenges. The aim is to implement energy-saving measures in terms of lighting, reduction of digital-related consumption, knowledge and exploitation of its real estate potential and energy performance, management and improvement of heating and eco-gesture training tools. Regarding the issue of supporting the general public, the meeting of the working group was an opportunity for France Télévisions to recall the educational impact of television initiatives around Ecowatt and the climate weather.

In the presence of representatives of public institutions and companies in the cultural sector, representatives of local authorities, energy specialists and experts from the Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), this meeting made it possible to take stock of the energy consumption of winter 2022-2023 and the measures implemented to promote energy efficiency. Particularly affected in their activities, the cultural sectors were able to benefit from the State’s transversal aid schemes and from the support of local authorities, but in some cases the situation remained critical, This has led the Ministry of Culture to provide exceptional financial support to the most difficult labeled structures.

The public institutions of the Ministry of Culture were able to draw up an initial assessment of sobriety measures, as part of the presentation of the sobriety plan by the Prime Minister and Agnès Pannier-Runacher in October 2022, around, in particular, the careful application of set-point temperatures (19°C of heating in winter), the implementation of fast-saving work and the implementation of measures to reduce fuel consumption.

In the field of performing arts, cinema, audiovisual, museums, libraries, archives, creative industries, architecture and heritage, strong measures have been taken to reduce and control energy consumption. The working group was thus an opportunity to discuss and share good practices:

  • In the field of museums: the Musée de France presented its solutions to reconcile the best conservation of works and sobriety, which ICOM and the museums of Orsay were able to illustrate. Universcience presented its efforts to reduce energy consumption and its green ticketing initiative to promote soft mobility access to the museum.
  • In the cinema sector: the National Centre for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC) conducted an energy audit of cinemas in the summer of 2022 and is working on a plan to accelerate the replacement of xenon light bulb projectors with less energy consuming laser projectors (up to -50%). For its part, the Fédération nationale des cinémas français (FNCF) committed in October 2022 to reduce the heating and lighting of cinemas, as well as to turn off the projectors, ventilation and air renewal in the event of room vacancy. At the April 28, 2023 meeting, the FNCF reiterated its commitments for summer and winter 2023.
  • In the live entertainment sector: all the actors present affirmed that the mobilization of professionals is general, in connection with the Ministry of Culture, at the level of professional organizations or by the mobilization of support for innovation of France 2030 (including “green initiatives”). The Syndeac was able to evoke, the result of a transversal work to envisage differently, the rhythms of the production of show, those of the tours and the volumes of representation. Mobilities are at the heart of many reflections: whether it is those conducted by the Prodiss on the transport of stage equipment or that of the movements of spectators that has been evoked by all, with some practical tools.
  • In the music sector: the National Music Centre (CNM) supports the music sector, notably through calculators adapted to the sector as well as an innovative project, temporarily called SoWatt, which aims to measure the actual consumption of material at festivals. The “energy” working group set up in 2023 will also make it possible to make joint and shared commitments with professionals in the sector and to develop an action plan for more sobriety in the music sector.

Example: in 2023, the Rennes festivals collective set up training courses for festival organizers to give them the keys to optimize the energy consumption of their event by better calibrating the sources of supply, choosing less energy-intensive solutions at the different production stations (catering, bar, stage, lighting, etc.) and exploring new technical solutions (solar, batteries, etc.) and original artistic offerings.

  • In the library sector: the Association des Bibliothécaires de France also calls for consideration to optimize the use of space in existing and future libraries and media libraries, in particular in order to benefit from the thermal inertia of the soil, to preserve the works while minimizing energy consumption.
  • In the cultural industries: various concrete actions were mentioned as changes in the distribution of works in publishing, the reduction of the weight of vinyls in phonographic publishing, or the major progress in reducing the energy consumption of video game consoles, notably through eco-design, in line with the recommendations of the ADEME/ARCEP report on the environmental footprint of digital.
  • In the fields of heritage and ancient buildings, the departments of the ministries of culture and ecological transition, work together around the climate treatment of buildings (insulation, material performance), in close contact with the heritage and national council of the Order of Architects, who are responsible for sustainable energy efficiency solutions.

On the occasion of this working group, all the participants also agreed to continue to advance in the search for innovations, while respecting the specificities of the cultural sectors, and to keep, this summer, the commitments achieved during the winter.

 

Agnès PANNIER-RUNACHER, Minister of Energy Transition: I welcome the mobilization of cultural actors to fight against energy waste. The results of the 2022-2023 winter show a proliferation of initiatives that have led to other sectors such as construction, digital technology and mobility. These initiatives must continue and expand, while taking into account the specificities of each activity: the measures of sobriety are not the same depending on whether one works in a cinema or in the conservation of works! Beyond that, thanks to its ability to speak to all French people, the cultural sector contributes to creating new collective imaginations, especially on our habits and consumption patterns. We need him to continue teaching, to show the benefits of sobriety and to make it desirable.”

 

Rima ABDUL MALAK, Minister of Culture: ' I would like to commend the cultural sector for its full commitment to the energy transition, which has reduced energy consumption by 10% by winter 2022-2023. Numerous initiatives have been implemented to reduce gas, electricity and fuel consumption in all cultural fields. These energy-efficient efforts have been made without reducing access to the culture of our fellow citizens, a principle to which I remain very attached. Renovations and equipment have also been undertaken, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, to improve the energy performance of buildings and facilities. Collectively, we have responded to short-term emergencies while anticipating the challenges of the future. A more eco-responsible cultural life is possible!”