WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/FRA/124 
18 April 2011 
 (11-1975) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   French 
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  FRANCE  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:  
Direction Générale de l'Aménagement , du Logement et de la Nature   
(Directorate-General for Pla nning, Housing and Nature) 
Direction de l'Habitat, de l'Urbanisme et des Paysages  
(Housing, Urban Planning and Landscape Department) 
Sous-Direction de la Qualité et du Dével oppement Durable dans la Construction   
(Unit for Quality and Sustainable Development in Construction) 
Bureau de la Qualité Technique et de la Réglementación Technique de la Construction 
(Office for the Technical Quality and Technical Regulation of Construction) 
Arche Sud, 92055 LA DEFENSE cedex FRANCE 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and E-mail and website 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.  
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Building envelope 
components, heating systems, domestic hot water systems, cooling systems, equipment for generating energy using renewable energy sources, ventilation systems, lighting systems. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Arrêté portant 
approbation de la méthode de calcul Th-B-C-E prévue aux articles 4, 5 et 6 de l'arrêté du 
26 octobre 2010 relatif aux caractéristiques th ermiques et aux exigences de performance 
énergétique des bâtiments nouveaux et  des parties nouvelles de bâtiments (Order approving 
the Th-B-C-E calculation method provided for in Articles 4, 5 and 6 of the Order of 26 October 2010 concerning the thermal characteristics of and energy performance requirements for new buildings and new parts of buildings) (1,421 pages, in French). 
6. Description of content:   The Order of 26 October 2010 concerning the thermal 
characteristics of and energy performance requi rements for new buildings and new parts of 
buildings establishes a limit on energy consumption for five types of appliance, a limit on energy requirements in terms of heating, coo ling and artificial lighting, and a summertime 
discomfort limit.  The notified draft Order approves the regulatory calculation method used 
to determine the three above-mentioned indicators in respect of new buildings subject to these regulations. G/TBT/N/FRA/124 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:  
The Framework Law of 13 July 2005 outlinin g French energy policy seeks to reduce CO
2 
emissions from the building sector by 75% by 2050.  The Law of 3 August 2009 concerning the implementation of the results of the Environment Round Table ( Grenelle de 
l'environnement ) supplemented and clarified energy performance targets for new buildings.  
It most notably sets the target of reducing the average annual energy consumption of new 
buildings to 50 kWh/m
2.  Thermal regulation requirements must therefore be enhanced so 
as to reduce energy consumption and r esulting inequalities and improve household 
purchasing power.  It must be ensured that all new buildings attain a very high energy performance level, therefore consuming very  low levels of energy, with a view to 
complying with the "positive energy" concep t by 2020.  Within the framework of the 
transposition of Directive 2010/31/EU of 19 May 2010 on the energy performance of buildings, the regulatory methods used to calculate the energy performance of new 
buildings must be specified.  In order to quantify the energy performance of a building, it must be possible to estimate its normal energy consumption.  A calculation method is 
therefore needed which makes it possible to assess the energy consumption of buildings in 
normal conditions of use. 
8. Relevant documents:  
- Directive 2010/31/EU of 19 May 2010 on the energy performance of buildings; 
- Directive 2009/28/EC of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from 
renewable sources; 
- Loi n° 2009-967 du 3 août 2009 de programmation relative à la mise en oeuvre du 
Grenelle de l'environnement  (Law No. 2009-967 of 3 August 2009 concerning the 
implementation of the results of the Environment Round Table); 
- Code de la construction et de l'habitation  (Building and housing code) (Articles 
L.111-9, L.134-2, L.151-1, *R.111-2, R.111-20, R.131-28, *R.111-2, R.111-6, R.111-20); 
- Code de l'urbanisme  (Urban planning code) (Article R.112-2); 
- Décret n° 92-647 du 8 juillet 1992 mod ifié concernant l'aptitude à l'usage des 
produits de construction  (Decree No. 92-647 of 8 July 1992, as amended, 
concerning the suitability for u se of construction products); 
- Décret n° 95-21 du 9 janvier 1995 relatif au classement des infrastructures de 
transports terrestres et modifiant le code  de l'urbanisme et le code de la 
construction et de l'habitation  (Decree No. 95-21 of 9 January 1995 concerning the 
classification of land transport infrastruct ure and amending the urban planning and 
building and housing codes); 
- Arrêté du 30 mai 1996 relatif aux modalités de classement des infrastructures de 
transports terrestres et à l'isolement acous tique des bâtiments d' habitation dans les 
secteurs affectés par le bruit  (Order of 30 May 1996 concerning procedures for the 
classification of land transport infrastruct ure and the soundproofing of residential 
buildings in areas affected by noise); 
- Décret du 26 octobre 2010 relatif aux caractéristiques thermiques et à la 
performance énergétique des constructions  (Decree of 26 October 2010 concerning 
the thermal characteristics and energy performance of buildings); 
- Arrêté du 26 octobre 2010 relatif aux caractéristiques thermiques et aux exigences 
de performance énergétique des bâtimen ts nouveaux et des parties nouvelles de 
bâtiments  (Decree of 26 October 2010 concerning the thermal characteristics of 
and energy performance requirements for new buildings and new parts of 
buildings).  G/TBT/N/FRA/124 
 Page 3 
 
 
  9. Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force:  1 August 2011 
28 October 2011 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days from the date of notification. 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry  point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, E-mail and website addresses,  if available, of other body:  
National enquiry point: 
CINORTECH 
AFNOR 11 avenue Francis Pressensé 93571 Saint Denis La Plaine Cedex 
Texts also available at: 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2011/tbt/FRA/11_1074_00_f.pdf
 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2011/tbt/FRA/11_1074_01_f.pdf  
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2011/tbt/FRA/11_1074_02_f.pdf