01
What is RE2020?
RE2020, short for “réglementation environnementale 2020”, is the French environmental regulation for new buildings, in force since 1 January 2022. It replaces RT2012. It is not a label: it is the legal minimum, and a project that fails to meet it will not be granted a building permit.
A change of approach
RT2012 only looked at energy, hence its name of thermal regulation. RE2020 looks at energy and carbon, hence the word environmental. The focus shifts from the energy bill to overall climate impact.
Thresholds that keep tightening
Requirements tighten every three years. A building compliant in 2024 will not necessarily be compliant in 2025, 2028 or 2031: the carbon constraint increases gradually.
02
The three pillars
To be compliant, a building must meet three criteria at the same time. If any one of them is not met, the project is rejected.
Energy efficiency
- BbioBioclimatic need
- Tightened by 30% compared with RT2012, it calls for highly advanced insulation and bioclimatic design.
- CepPrimary energy consumption
- It caps the consumption of five end uses: heating, cooling, domestic hot water, lighting and auxiliary systems.
- The end of gas
- The thresholds make gas-only heating virtually impossible in single-family homes since 2022, and in multi-family housing from 2025.
Carbon impact
- Ic constructionkgCO₂/m²
- The carbon weight of materials. It steers projects towards timber and bio-based materials.
- Ic énergieOver 50 years
- The carbon weight of the energy consumed over 50 years. It favours heat pumps and district heating networks.
- Dynamic LCA
- A complex calculation method that rewards temporary carbon storage, particularly in timber.
Summer comfort
- DHDegree-hours
- A new indicator that replaces TIC. It counts the hours of discomfort over the year, above 26 to 28 °C.
- Maximum threshold
- Above 2,600 DH, the building is non-compliant and cannot be built.
- Consequence
- Roller shutters, solar shading and thermal mass become essential.
03
The timeline
RE2020 is phased in gradually. Here are the milestones to anticipate for your construction projects.
| Period | Carbon requirement | Technical impact |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 to 2024 | Learning phase | Optimised standard concrete and reinforced insulation. End of individual gas heating. |
| 2025 to 2027 | −15% carbon | Low-carbon concrete or hybrid concrete and timber required. End of collective gas heating. |
| 2028 to 2030 | −25% carbon | Predominantly timber structure or very low-carbon concrete. |
| From 2031 | −30% carbon | Widespread bio-based construction, buildings as carbon sinks. |
04
RE2020 versus the labels
Why pay for a label such as BREEAM or HQE when RE2020 is already so demanding?
| Topic | RE2020, the law | BREEAM, HQE, LEED labels |
|---|---|---|
| Obligation | Yes, otherwise no permit | No, voluntary scheme |
| Scope | Energy, carbon, summer comfort | Comprehensive: health, management, water, waste, biodiversity |
| Site management | Few requirements, beyond legal obligations on waste | Very demanding: green site charter, nuisances |
| Market value | Market standard, the normal level | A differentiator that attracts investors |
05
Costs and impact on construction
Moving from RT2012 to RE2020 comes at a cost: more insulation, more expensive equipment such as heat pumps, and greater care over finishes.
+5 to +10%
Additional construction cost compared with RT2012
+15 to +20%
Additional cost of engineering consultancy studies
The additional construction cost comes from materials, insulation and joinery, and from HVAC systems. The additional cost of studies comes from the LCA, an assignment that is added to the conventional thermal study.
06
Advantages and drawbacks
Advantages
- Real decarbonisation of the sector.
- Better summer comfort, putting an end to homes that become unliveable during heatwaves.
- An incentive for manufacturers to publish low-carbon FDES (French environmental product declarations).
Drawbacks
- A heavy LCA calculation, juggling the INIES database and default values per work package.
- An architectural constraint: optimising Bbio often requires a highly compact, almost box-like form.
- A higher selling price for new homes.