The Local Energy and Climate Agency of Lyon Metropolis (ALEC Lyon)

Lyon Metropolis has launched its “energy renovation platform for private households” in March 2015. Since then more than 20.000 private and social households were renovated at a high energy performance level : below 96 kWh/m²/y for heating and hot water.  ALEC Lyon is the one-stop shop for this energy renovation platform.

Lyon Metropolis has voted its SEAP (Sustainable Energy Action Plan) in 2012, and has been rewarded by the EEA label, European Energy Award, in January 2015. In 2019 the SEAP evolved to a 2030 version. The city of Lyon is a signatory of the covenant of Mayors and has been selected by UE as one of the 100 « climate-neutral and smart cities » by 2030. Lyon Metropolis made its energy master plan in 2019 with targets for 2030. ALEC Lyon is at the side of Lyon Metropolis, the City of Lyon, and many other cities to develop their climate strategies and initiate specific and practical actions.

Lyon Metropolis is a large metropolitan area composed by 59 cities with big urban development programs. The most renowned one is the Confluence neighborhood program, between Rhone and Saone, Lyon’s two rivers, where a lot of zero energy buildings are on development. ALEC lyon is involved  in the design, update and implementation of the local guideline for green efficient housing construction since 2005. Thanks to this guideline, more than 30 000 housing units including more than 20 000 social housing units have a higher energy performance, using renewable energy and have a lower environmental impact than the national standards for new contruction sites.

Lyon Metropolis has 7 urban heat networks and uses renewable energy sources such as energy from a waste treatment plant and the use of wood-energy. Lyon Metropolis also developed a solar plan in 2022 and a solar cadastre to help professionals, inhabitants and cities to identify the solar potential of any kind of building. Many energy communities have arisen and contribute to photovoltaïc development. The Metropolis set up specific incentives for massive development of thermal renewable energy : wood energy boiler, thermal solar panels and geothermal energy. ALEC Lyon supports the renewable energy projects of public and private owners.  Furthermore, since 2017 we have been instructing the Lyon Metropolis eco-heat bonus (with the support of ADEME – the national Energy Agency) in order to promote renewable heat for tertiary and large condominiums.

ALEC Lyon animates 3 main behavioural change support and education programs for 3 different targets :

• an educational program for school children, with more than 2500 children involved since 2012
• a behavorial change support program about energy sufficiency in households, with more than 2800 participants
• a program to co-build sufficiency plans with teams of voluntary employees, fully developed by ALEC Lyon in 2016, dedicated to companies and public buildings: 25 plans have been developed since 2016.

ALEC Lyon is a local expert on energy and climate topics and thus organises trainings for different targets : public housing agencies, social workers, citizens… We are also involved in the development and animation of a MOOC on energy renovating in condominiums (cofinanced by ADEME) for building managers, co-ownership management comittees, owners and building professional. Since 2020, more than 3 000 trainees have participated in this program.

ALEC Lyon has participated in or has lead innovative projects in matter of behaviour change, sometimes including nudges, in partnership with social science experts and universities.

In 2022, we participated and/or organised 40 events on climate and energy topics and reached a public of 4,000 people : information stands in fairs and festivals, conferences, and also our own climate, energy and housing event yearly with 30 partners.

We have communication and information tools and dedicated websites. We are active on social media and have our own youtube channel. In 2022, ALEC Lyon appeared more than 5 times on TV, including prime time on national channels, and more than 5 times in the press, local and national, as well as radio.

We are an energy information centre under agreement with the national energy agency, ADEME, offering advice to circa 12 000 people in 2022. Since 2015 ALEC Lyon is the one-stop shop for the Lyon Metropolis and its “energy renovation platform for private households”.

We also have a more technical role in producing short studies for private and social housing builders, multi-owner properties, local authorities and tertiary owners. From the project’s earliest stages, we help the decision makers write their call for tenders.

We give advice about energy and buildings’ technical aspects : high environmental quality buildings, renewable energy sources in buildings (solar, PV and wood energy), energy efficiency standards.

We support Lyon Metropolis and a large number of its member cities by implementing their local climate action plan, including climate change adaptation.

Before the development of a tool by the national energy agency ADEME, ALEC Lyon had previously developed its own tool specifically for climate and energy action plans, dedicated to the 59 cities of Lyon metropolis, thus supporting local cities to ambitious and effective climate actions since 2010. Our agency cooperates with local authorities (Greater Lyon, City of Lyon – 465 000 inhabitants – and City of Villeurbanne – 135 000 inhabitants) on matters related to the Covenant of Mayors, with provision of methodologies (for emissions inventory), support in developing Sustainable Energy Action Plans and their implementation.

We contribute in green district retrofitting projects (such as eco areas or eco districts) and issues like urban planning and energy management, including solar urban planning, or old district building renovation schemes.

→ With Rhônalpénergie Environnement (RAEE)

• POWERTY : Renewable energies for vulnerable groups (Interreg Europe 2019-2023 ; https://projects2014-2020.interregeurope.eu/powerty/)
• SHREC : SHifting towards Renewable Energy for Transition to Low Carbon Energy (Interreg Europe 2019-2023, https://www.auvergnerhonealpes-ee.fr/projets/projet/shrec ; https://projects2014-2020.interregeurope.eu/shrec/)
• BUDI : energy performance certificates (IEE SAVE 2007)
• PROMENLAB : energy label on buildings (IEE SAVE 2004)
• BIOPROM : biomass energy promotion in urban areas (IEE ALTENER 2007)

→ With FLAME, our national local energy agencies

• Eco’n’Home : work with citizens on CO₂ emissions reductions at home and in transport, (IEE SAVE 2009)

→ With Energie Cités

• PROSPECT : mentor role on this peer learning programme for local and regional authorities (H2020, 2017-2020)
• REVE Jura Leman : work on the adaptation for the French context of a German and Swiss climate and energy certification tool, European Energy Award (Interreg IIIC, 2009)

→ With HESPUL

• Smarter Together : Horizon 2020 Smart Cities program : www.smarter-together.eu ; ALEC Lyon is involved in the behaviour change of refurbished buildings’ occupiers.               

→ And as direct partners

• AMICA : work on the implementation of a local climate action plan, with mitigation and adaptation aspects (Interreg IIIC 2005,
  www.amica-climate.net)
• SOLPOOL : work on solar energy use on outdoor swimming pools (IEE Altener 2007, www.solpool.info)

• EYES : European program for citizen engagement to involve young people in ecological transition and to influence public decision-making (Erasmus +, EACEA/10/2018, https://www.projecteyes.fr/ ; https://www.projecteyes.eu/)
• SMERGY : developed a campaign to impulse behaviour change to young adults (18-30 years old) with energy saving tips. The campaign is based on a website with articles and a tool (smergymeter, which became since wattometer) with energy actions which can be selected and translated in kWh, €, kg CO₂. (Horizon2020 2014-2016)
• LEAF : the program targets the low energy renovation of multi-ownership buildings. LEAF plans to create a toolkit wich facilitates multi-occupancy building low-energy upgrades, and to integrate in local example projects the Energy Performance certificates. (IEE SAVE 2012)
• WinForRes : to animate an interactive, multimedia and multilingual web portal targeted at potential customers of small-scale RES installations (IEE SAVE 2010)
• POLIS : development of active and passive solar potential in urban projects (IEE Altener 2009, www.polis-solar.eu)
• BEAM 21 : blended capacity training program for local decision makers and municipal technical staff on climate and energy issues and measures (IEE SAVE 2009)
• Promotion 3E : promotion of energy efficient electrical equipment through the training of appliances’ sales personnel on energy efficiency issues (IEE SAVE 2008)
• Renaissance : work on the large scale integration of renewable energy sources (RES) into decentralised local energy supplies. (FP6 Concerto 2005, www.renaissance-project.eu)