An Interview with Florence Bovet, Director of Heritage at Seqens

In late October 2024, Aïda Tazi, head of Carbone 4’s Construction and Real Estate Division, met with Florence Bovet, Director of Asset Management at Seqens.

The social housing provider, subsidiary part of the Action Logement Group, owns a portfolio of more than 100,000 housing units in Île-de-France. He has distinguished himself in recent years through his commitment to climate action. Implementing an effective energy-efficient renovation strategy is central to this commitment. Through this approach, Seqens draws on one of the three golden rules of the NZI initiative^[1], which outlines what constitutes a fair contribution by companies toward achieving global carbon neutrality: “helping others reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.” Indeed, By enabling energy savings and the use of lower-carbon energy sources, Seqens helps tenants reduce their carbon footprint and control their operating costs over the long term.

The article below explores the climate initiatives Seqens has undertaken to drive change within its facilities.

Carbon 4: How would you describe Seqens' climate strategy in a few lines?

Florence Bovet: Seqens’ commitment to climate action can be summarized through its three pillars:

• Reduce energy consumption, dependence on fossil fuels, and GHG emissions from its housing stock. With the goal of staying 10 years ahead of the National Low-Carbon Strategy^[2] ;

• Promote the circular economy and the recycling of materials used;

• Adapt the park so that it can withstand a changing climate.

Carbon 4: Regarding the first pillar, how is this commitment being implemented in practice?

Florence Bovet: Beyond the “conservation” initiative—through which we can help tenants adopt the right habits—I’d like to elaborate on the “efficiency” initiative we’re working on.

Seqens aims to renovate 4,000 housing units per year; the goal is The goal is to have the entire housing stock rated A, B, or C under the Energy Performance Certificate (DPE) by 2030. We are on track, as the renovation of the energy-inefficient F and G-rated buildings is currently being finalized, while work on the D and E-rated buildings is just getting underway.

I would like to point out that Energy consumption related to fossil fuels accounts for half of Seqens' carbon footprint, with 30,000 homes heated by district heating and the same number by individual gas systems.

To move away from fossil fuels, it is not a matter of promoting one type of low-carbon energy over another (heat pumps, geothermal energy, solar thermal energy, etc.). My belief is rather that we need to pool our demands in order to come up with a collective response through connection to district heating networks.

We are therefore counting on the fact that our housing stock is located in the Île-de-France region, which has an extensive network of district heating systems (RCU), to connect most of our housing units to these systems. And these networks, although still partly powered by carbon-based energy sources, will become carbon-free. Pooling resources will, in fact, facilitate their decarbonization over time.^[3].

From an operational standpoint, this means assessing whether each building heated collectively using fossil fuels can be connected to a district heating network. If not, Seqens’ strategy is to create microgrids for these residential buildings. We believe that third-party financing is a tool that should be leveraged to achieve these goals. By responding to our calls for proposals, Third-party financing companies commit to handling the construction and management of micro-heat networks, ensuring we have access to low-carbon energy at a controlled cost. In return, Seqens guarantees them a certain volume of demand.

Ensuring that energy costs remain under control is an issue that has become all the more pressing in the wake of a crisis that saw gas prices triple in just a few months.

When it comes to the decarbonization strategy for homes heated by individual gas systems, the situation is more challenging. To date, there are no technical solutions that can be easily replicated. We are conducting innovative experiments, such as the installation of community heat pumps.

Finally, I would like to point out that Pillar 1 of Seqens’ climate strategy focuses on reducing GHG emissions across its entire carbon footprint. Thus, while fossil fuels account for 50% of the company’s carbon footprint, the other half corresponds to the materials used in the construction and renovation of housing. This is another area we're working on.

Carbon 4: Precisely—given the use of resources (materials, on-site energy) involved in renovation projects, how do we ensure that GHG reductions are actually achieved when we consider the overall picture?

Florence Bovet: As a member of the Low-Carbon Prescribers Hub, in December 2023, we signed the Low-Carbon Prescribers Charter at SIMI^[4].

Among the charter’s four articles, the signatories commit to “understanding the numbers before taking action.” In practical terms, this means conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and calculating the carbon payback time for each project undertaken.

After defining the accounting rules for a renovation LCA with the consulting firm Pouget Consultants^[5], We have implemented a system of systematic life cycle assessments (LCA) during the pre-construction phasein order to guide design decisions and maximize the carbon benefits of renovation projects, while maintaining the project’s economic viability.

Carbon 4: For many, financing renovations is the main obstacle to accelerating comprehensive, energy-efficient renovations. What enables Seqens to succeed where others seem to be stuck, having failed to find a profitable business model?

Florence Bovet: It's true that Financing the renovation remains a challenge.

We have mainlyuse of loans. Grants are available, but there aren't many. In addition, we are exploring solutions third-party financing for the installation of micro-heat networks to decarbonize the energy consumed by some of the homes.

Carbon 4: The 3^th receipt line, established in 2009 by the Molle Act^[6], doesn't that help cover some of the expenses?

Florence Bovet: Although this subsidy is provided systematically, it is far from covering a significant portion of the renovation costs. In fact, its average value is +€15/month for households, compared to the cost of energy-efficiency renovations, which is around €50,000 per dwelling. Therefore, the funding primarily consists of equity and loans.

Carbon 4: Finally, adapting the housing stock is cited as the 3rd^th a cornerstone of Seqens’ climate strategy. This echoes a growing concern within the industry: How can we renovate buildings to be energy-efficient and carbon-neutral when outdoor temperatures reach 50°C in 2050? Where does Seqens stand on this issue?

Florence Bovet: When it comes to adaptation, I note that the issue is not being given enough attention today. There are many tools on the market, but there is no consensus on measurement methods or the solutions to be implemented.

At this stage, Seqens is implementing a few “standard” best practices, such as systematically installing window coverings during carpentry work. We need to go much further than that. That is why we co-founded the program called “Our Cities at 50°C.” The goal is to foster new practices in real estate and operations that take into account a warming climate.

➡️ Read the interviews with Icade and the Carbone La Rochelle Cooperative, who discuss their respective approaches to the transition and achieving carbon neutrality.