On February 10th, the EnerJ-meeting brought together more than 4,000 decision-makers from the building sector at the Carrousel du Louvre, focusing on environmental transition, energy performance, and real estate adaptation to climate change. The Carrousel du Louvre became a hub for discussions on decarbonization, energy efficiency, and climate change adaptation for a day. The debates highlighted the need to combine technological innovation and transformation of construction practices to meet increasingly stringent environmental constraints.
Among the topics addressed by speakers, artificial intelligence played a central role. Doris Birkhofer, President of Siemens France, emphasized the transformative nature of this evolution, likening it to the generalization of electricity in the 19th century. Already integrated into building technical management systems, AI offers prospects for optimizing usage, reducing consumption, and predictive maintenance.
However, discussions reinforced that technological innovation must be accompanied by broader reflection on construction methods, particularly regarding public health issues related to rising temperatures. Francois Gemenne, co-author of the IPCC report, stressed that the current challenge lies less in inventing new solutions and more in deploying existing ones on a large scale, especially through enhanced collaboration between public and private actors.
Innovations serving the sector’s transformation were showcased through the awarding of prizes to four startups whose solutions directly address on-the-ground issues. A jury of experts evaluated projects from twenty-three young companies, honoring four during the award ceremony.
The Grand Prize was awarded to the startup Le Bon Tuyau for its approach aiming for carbon neutrality in European buildings by 2050. The company develops, finances, and operates heat and cooling production facilities based on geothermal and solar thermal energy. Their model involves leasing equipment to medium-sized buildings such as nursing homes, hotels, or office buildings to mitigate initial investment barriers while offering renewable energy at a controlled cost.
The Special Prize went to HWQ CONCEPT for its EnovaQ system dedicated to distributing hot water. Combining artificial intelligence and motorized pumps to accelerate water circulation in small diameter pipes, this patented technology provides almost instant distribution, even remotely from the boiler, while reducing water and energy consumption and minimizing Legionnaires’ disease risks in healthcare facilities.
Urban resilience was also emphasized with the awarding of a Coup de Coeur Prize to Vertuo City for its autonomous vegetalization modules. Inspired by hedgerows, these devices utilize rainwater to support urban biodiversity without requiring manual watering, addressing challenges related to drought episodes and water usage restrictions.
Lastly, a second Coup de Coeur Prize was given to the startup Orioma for its multi-purpose intelligent sensor. Developed through research at CNRS and Grenoble INP, this technology features extremely low energy consumption, operating without a battery by harnessing ambient energy. Equipped with an infrared sensor, the device analyzes building occupancy while ensuring data confidentiality, aiding in equipment control and space management for real estate operators to optimize operational costs and energy performance without battery replacement constraints.
