In 2016, Bertrand Piccard completed the first round-the-world flight in Solar Impulse, a fuel-free aircraft. Today, he defends the idea that ecology and economy are reconcilable. How will this credo materialize in the home of tomorrow? Answers from a clean technology ambassador of the Solar Impulse Foundation, which counts ADEO as a partner since March 2020
The ecological transition will lead us to rethink our way of building and living. What is your vision for the home of tomorrow?
We use and waste far too much energy. The search for efficiency must be the key word today and tomorrow! The home is an area in which the population and the individual can act directly. A whole range of solutions exists to make it more sustainable and save resources: bio-sourced insulation materials, LED lighting, energy-saving heating systems, individualized energy meters, shower water recovery systems, heat pumps, photovoltaic panels, remote control of consumption… The technologies already exist, but mindsets need to change.
Why do behaviors evolve at a slower pace than technologies? Is it a question of cost?
Building more energy-efficient buildings or renovating existing ones requires an initial investment, but it quickly pays off thanks to the significant energy savings achieved. Consumers must be made to understand that they will not make financial sacrifices, nor will they degrade their quality of life in any way. Quite the opposite! It only takes a few years to pay for insulation work or the installation of a heat pump. We gain in comfort, while significantly reducing our bills. In terms of renewable energy, photovoltaic installations are very profitable. They provide access to the cheapest energy in the world. The challenge from now on will be to make its storage just as cost-effective as its production. And in collective housing, let’s continue to install individual electricity and hot water meters. These are extraordinary savings levers! Social landlords also have a vested interest in making their housing stock ever more energy efficient. The more energy efficient they are, the less expensive they will be for society.
Two years ago, with your Solar Impulse Foundation, you established a partnership with ADEO. Do you share the same vision for tomorrow’s housing?
Indeed, with ADEO, we believe that it is possible to reconcile economy and ecology. We prefer pragmatism to major speeches about carbon neutrality and renewable energies. At Leroy Merlin, ADEO distributes solutions certified by the Solar Impulse Foundation: bio-sourced roofing materials and thermal insulation, and smart, economical shower heads. The company puts sustainability, efficiency and environmental protection into everyday consumer goods. It offers its customers cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions. This helps to change mindsets. Our collaboration is long term. Together, in 2021, we launched the participatory innovation approach: the “Positive Home Challenge”. More than 300 innovative and sustainable product proposals and solutions were made by suppliers from all over the world. Based on this success, in 2022 we re-launched the Positive Home Challenge 2, and 50 new innovators out of more than 300 applicants had the opportunity to present their solutions to ADEO product managers. More than 40 of them have generated interest and several will be tested in ADEO stores around the world! This means business opportunities for innovators and greener homes for all.
Does the evolution towards this more virtuous habitat imply rethinking our economic development models?
It is up to us to move from the world of waste to the world of efficiency! This is what I call “qualitative growth”. It creates jobs, purchasing power and profitability by replacing what pollutes with what protects the environment. It is entirely cost-effective to build homes that produce more energy than they consume. It will also be essential to update regulations to support this ecological transition in housing. The legislator must push for more efficiency. It must be taken into account in the framework of public procurement and compliance with certain standards must be made mandatory. Otherwise, we will continue to have the right to legally emit CO2 into the atmosphere. To build the habitat of tomorrow, we must be as logical as we are ecological.
40%
of CO2 emissions
come from the home and construction
50%
of our energy consumption
can be saved by improving the efficiency of the home
82%
of solar energy
has decreased in 20 years