. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/FRA/76 
28 January 2008 
 (08-0393) 
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:  
Ministère de l'écologie, du développement et de l'aménagement durables  – DGUHC – QC1  
(Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development – Directorate General of Town Planning, Housing and Construction – QC1) 
La Grande Arche – Paroi Sud 
92055 La Défense Cedex 
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 shell 
components, heating systems, domestic hot wate r 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-C-E-ex prévue par  l'arrêté relatif à la performance 
énergétique des bâtiments existants de surface supérieure à 1000 m², lorsque ils font l'objet 
de travaux de rénovation importants (Order approving the calculation methodology Th-C-
E-ex provided for by the Order on the energy performance of existing buildings with a surface area exceeding 1,000 m² which are subj ect to major renovation work) (195 pages, in 
French). 
6. Description of content:   The notified draft Order approves the calculation methodology 
used to assess the energy consumption of ex isting buildings within the framework of the 
thermal regulations for existing buildings.  De tails of the calculation methodology are set 
forth in the annex to the draft Order. 
 The methodology assesses the energy consum ed for the heating, domestic hot water 
production, cooling, ventilation and lighting of a building in normal conditions of use, 
according to the climatic zone in which it is situated.  The thermal characteristics of the 
elements, products and insta llations present in the building or installed during renovation 
work are used as input data for the methodol ogy on the basis of which the calculations 
resulting in an estimate of the energy consumption of the building are made.  Such input data must be justified unde r the conditions described in the methodology;  otherwise, 
default values of the thermal characteristics must be used. G/TBT/N/FRA/76 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where
applicable:   Reducing energy consumption and C02 emissions in the construction industry, 
in accordance with Directive 2002/91/EC of  16 December 2002 on the energy performance 
of buildings, involves significantly improving the energy performance of existing buildings, which means reducing their energy consumption in  respect of heating systems, domestic hot 
water systems and cooling, ventilation and ligh ting systems.  Regulations aimed at limiting 
the energy consumption of buildings with a net floor area exceeding 1,000 m² which have undergone major renovation work are currently in effect. 
 In order to estimate accurately the en ergy consumption of a building subject to 
these regulations, it is necessary to use a cal culation methodology which assesses the energy 
consumption of the building in terms of the elements and installations making up that 
building. 
 The purpose of the draft Order is to define  the rules of calculation to be used to 
calculate the energy consumption of the building. 
8. Relevant documents:   Directive 2002/91/EC of 16 December 2002 on the energy 
performance of buildings. 
 Code de la construction et de l'habitation  (Building and housing code), Articles 
L. 111-10, L. 131-1, L. 134-1, L. 134-4 and L. 271-4 to L. 271-6, and Articles R. 131-25 and 
R. 131-26 
 Projet d'arrêté relatif à la performan ce énergétique des bâtiments existants de 
surface supérieure à 1000 m², lorsque ils font l'objet de travaux de rénovation importants 
(Draft Order on the energy performance of exis ting buildings with a surface area exceeding 
1,000 m² which are subject to major renovation work) 
9. Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force: } April 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   - 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, E-mail and website addresses,  if available, of other body:  
CINORTECH 
AFNOR 11 avenue Francis de Pressensé 93571 Saint Denis La Plaine Cedex