RE2020 France: Six Indicators That Govern Energy and Carbon in New Construction (Guide RE 2020, May 2025)
Electricity primary energy factor drops from 2.58 to 2.3, schools face DH_max of 900 °C·h in Category 1, and lifecycle carbon is calculated over a 50-year reference period. France's RE2020 sets limits on operational energy and on embodied construction carbon in one calculation.
Six. That’s how many performance indicators France’s RE2020 requires every new building to calculate, each with a maximum value. RE2020 has applied since January 2022 and covers energy consumption, lifecycle carbon, and summer thermal comfort in one regulatory framework. This guide follows the official Guide RE 2020 (Ministries and Cerema, May 2025 edition, which includes the August 2024 and December 2024 amendments). Here are the thresholds and the calculation points that are easy to get wrong.
What are the key RE2020 thresholds at a glance?
| Indicator | Unit | What it measures | Guide RE 2020 (May 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bbio | points | Bioclimatic energy needs: heating, cooling, lighting demand | §1.1, §1.4 (p. 9, 19) |
| Cep | kWh EP/(m²·yr) | Total primary energy, five RT 2012 uses plus additions | §1.1, §1.4 (p. 9, 20) |
| Cep,nr | kWh EP/(m²·yr) | Non-renewable primary energy only | §1.1, §1.4 (p. 10, 20) |
| Ic énergie | kg CO2eq/m² | Climate impact of energy consumed over 50 years | §1.3, §1.4 (p. 5, 20) |
| Ic construction | kg CO2eq/m² | Climate impact of products, equipment (“Composants”) and site (“Chantier”) | §1.3 (p. 5, 12) |
| DH | °C·h | Summer discomfort degree-hours above a 26–28°C comfort temperature | §1.2, §1.4 (p. 11, 16) |
| Electricity factor | ratio | 2.3 (RE2020) vs 2.58 (RT 2012) | §1.1 (p. 9) |
| Airtightness, single-family | m³/(h·m²) | 0.6 (Q4Pa_surf) | p. 10 |
| DH_max schools | °C·h | 900 (Category 1, except air-conditioned parts in zones H2d/H3) | p. 17 |
What are the six RE2020 performance indicators?
RE2020 is France’s environmental regulation for new construction, set by the Arrêté of 4 August 2021 (as amended) and applied from 1 January 2022 for housing. The regulation establishes six indicators, each with a binding maximum. Bbio [points] measures bioclimatic energy needs: heating, cooling, and lighting demand. Cep [kWh EP/(m²·yr)] is the total primary energy consumption for the five RT 2012 uses (heating, cooling, domestic hot water, lighting, ventilation and auxiliaries) plus lifts and escalators, parking lighting and ventilation, and lighting of circulation in collective housing. Cep,nr separates non-renewable primary energy from the total, an indicator that RT 2012 did not have. Ic énergie [kg CO2eq/m²] is the climate-change impact of the energy consumed during operation over 50 years. Ic construction [kg CO2eq/m²] is the climate-change impact of the “Composants” (construction products and equipment) and “Chantier” (construction site) contributions. DH [°C·h] sums, over the warm season, the hourly gap between the building temperature and an adaptive comfort temperature that varies between 26 and 28°C. All six are verified; no single indicator substitutes for another (Guide RE 2020, p. 5, 25).
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Why does RE2020 track both energy and carbon?
RE2020 evaluates the building over its whole life cycle (life-cycle assessment, ACV) and regulates one environmental impact only: climate change (Guide RE 2020, p. 13). The Cep and Cep,nr indicators are calculated annually per m² and limit operational energy. The Ic énergie and Ic construction indicators express climate impact in kg CO2eq/m² over the reference study period (PER, période d’étude de référence), which is 50 years for all buildings (p. 8). The building’s impact is the sum of the “Composants”, “Énergie”, “Eau” and “Chantier” contributions; the water and plot (“Parcelle”) contributions must be entered but do not affect the regulatory indicators (p. 12–13). The Ic construction indicator therefore includes the site contribution: site energy use, site water, treatment of excavation waste and components of temporary works, not construction products alone. Environmental data for the calculation come from the INIES database (p. 13).
What are the summer comfort (DH) thresholds?
DH is France’s discomfort degree-hours indicator. The DH calculation uses weather files in which a heat-wave sequence is inserted (Guide RE 2020, p. 11). Three compliance zones apply (p. 16). Below 350 °C·h the building is judged comfortable in a heat wave. Between 350 °C·h and DH_max the building complies, but a cooling allowance (forfait de refroidissement) is added to Cep. Above DH_max the building does not comply. DH_max depends on use and on the category of external constraints: Category 1 is the situation with the fewest external constraints (and non-air-conditioned buildings), Category 2 a strong constraint (hot region, low altitude, air-conditioned, noise exposure), Category 3 a very strong constraint for air-conditioned offices where windows may not be opened and for high-rise buildings (p. 18).
| Use | Category 1 | Category 1, air-conditioned, zones H2d and H3 | Category 2 | Category 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family houses (maisons) | 1,250 | – | 1,850 | – |
| Collective housing, average unit ≤ 20 m² | 1,250 | 1,600 | 2,600 | – |
| Collective housing, 20–60 m² | 1,250 | 1,700 − 5 × average unit area | 2,850 − 12.5 × average unit area | – |
| Collective housing, > 60 m² | 1,250 | 1,400 | 2,100 | – |
| Offices | 1,150 | 2,400 | 2,600 | no threshold |
| Primary and secondary schools | 900 | 1,800 | 2,200 | – |
Values in °C·h, Guide RE 2020 (May 2025), p. 16–17. In zones H2d and H3 an air-conditioned Category 1 building gets a higher DH_max, not a lower one. Category 1 buildings in other zones keep their Category 1 value when air-conditioned.
What airtightness does RE2020 require?
Airtightness under RE2020 is the Q4Pa_surf metric, expressed in m³ of air per hour per m² of envelope surface at 4 Pa. Limits differ by building type (Guide RE 2020, p. 10, 25). Single-family houses (maisons individuelles) must not exceed 0.6 m³/(h·m²). Collective housing must not exceed 1.0 m³/(h·m²). Offices and primary/secondary schools must meet 1.7 m³/(h·m²), excluding high-rise buildings (IGH) and buildings above 3,000 m². Two adjustments apply to the measured value: it is multiplied by 1.2 if the measurement was made by sampling, and increased by 0.3 m³/(h·m²) if works that can affect airtightness remain to be done. Design teams should allow margin for both adjustments from the schematic stage.
How does the electricity conversion factor differ from RT 2012?
For the Cep calculation, the RE2020 conversion factor for electricity is 2.3, replacing the RT 2012 value of 2.58 (Guide RE 2020, p. 9). The other factors listed for Cep are: wood 1, district heating or cooling network 1, other non-renewable energies 1, and renewable energy captured on the building or plot 0. For Cep,nr, electricity is 2.3, renewable energies 0, district heating 1 minus its renewable and recovered energy share (EnR&R rate), district cooling 1 and other non-renewable energies 1 (p. 10). RE2020 does not count renewable energy captured on the plot and self-consumed as energy consumption. A project that uses the RT 2012 factor of 2.58 will overstate Cep for electrically heated or cooled buildings.
When did RE2020 take effect and what buildings does it cover?
RE2020 applies from the following dates (Guide RE 2020, p. 7): housing 1 January 2022; offices and primary or secondary education buildings 1 July 2022; small constructions and extensions of those uses 1 January 2023; leisure cottages (HLL) under 50 m² subject to planning procedures 1 January 2023; temporary constructions of those uses 1 July 2023. Dates follow the building permit or prior declaration filing date. The guide states that RE2020 does not apply to buildings in the overseas departments, and that other building uses are to be added by further regulatory texts. Alternative requirements for small and temporary constructions are set by the Arrêté of 22 December 2022 (p. 35, 71 ff.). The state-backed reference framework “Cap 2030”, which goes beyond the regulation, is described in Guide RE 2020 §6.3 (p. 91); it is not part of the regulatory calculation.
Which Bbio, Cep and Ic limits apply for an average building?
The guide gives “average” maxima that are then modulated for each building by geography, attics, average dwelling size, building size and noise or external-constraint category (p. 19–21). Ic énergie maxima also fall over time and differ for buildings connected to a district heating network; see the guide table on p. 20 before using a value.
| Use | Bbio_max,moyen (points) | Cep,nr_max,moyen (kWh EP/(m²·yr)) | Cep_max,moyen (kWh EP/(m²·yr)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family houses | 63 | 55 | 75 |
| Collective housing | 65 | 70 | 85 |
| Offices | 95 | 75 | 85 |
| Primary education | 68 (primary and secondary) | 65 | 72 |
| Secondary education | 68 (primary and secondary) | 63 | 72 |
Source: Guide RE 2020 (May 2025), p. 19–20. Ic construction limits are in chapter 6 of the guide (p. 87–88).
Which calculation points should be checked before submission?
Four points deserve a check before submission. First, the electricity primary energy factor: 2.3 in RE2020, not the RT 2012 value of 2.58. Second, cooling needs in Bbio: RE2020 always calculates cooling needs, whether or not an air-conditioning system is installed, which RT 2012 did not (p. 9). Third, the weather files for DH: the heat-wave sequence is inserted in the conventional weather files for the summer-comfort calculation only (p. 11). Fourth, on-site renewable energy: energy captured on the building or plot and self-consumed is not counted as consumption (factor 0); check the calculation method for the treatment of any surplus.
What belongs on the RE2020 pre-submission checklist?
- All six indicators calculated: Bbio, Cep, Cep,nr, Ic énergie, Ic construction, DH (Guide RE 2020 p. 5, 25)
- Weather files with the heat-wave sequence used for the DH calculation (p. 11)
- Electricity primary energy factor set to 2.3, not the RT 2012 value of 2.58 (p. 9)
- Cooling needs included in Bbio even where no mechanical cooling is installed (p. 9)
- Bbio_max, Cep_max, Cep,nr_max and Ic énergie_max confirmed for use, climate zone, geometry and permit date (p. 19–21)
- DH_max confirmed for use and constraint category (p. 16–18)
- Airtightness limit confirmed: 0.6 single-family, 1.0 collective housing, 1.7 m³/(h·m²) offices and schools (p. 10)
- Sampling multiplier (×1.2) and outstanding-works adjustment (+0.3 m³/(h·m²)) applied to the measured value (p. 10)
- Ic construction includes the “Chantier” contribution as well as “Composants” (p. 12)
- Overseas-department exclusion checked if applicable (p. 7)
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Published by DataDrivenAEC. Evidence basis: technical assurance. This legacy article has not completed the source-and-edition review used for newer technical guides; verify important claims against their named sources.