Our goal is to be able to renovate 40,000 to 44,000 schools within 10 years, and therefore to support municipalities, departments and regions.” This is what Emmanuel Macron promised in September 2023. A statement that echoed a ” major ecological restoration project for schools ” announced a few months earlier, in April 2023, by the President of the Republic. In detail, the government aims to refurbish 2,000 educational establishments (primary schools, middle schools, high schools, after-school facilities) by the end of 2024 and 10,000 by 2027 out of the 53,000 establishments listed in France.
A first objective partly achieved: “In a year and a half, our EduRenov program financed 2,009 projects, or 1,442 schools, 76 middle schools and 322 high schools,” Olivier Sichel, Deputy Managing Director of Caisse des Dépôts and Director of Banque des Territoires, tells us. However, it is impossible to quantify the number of construction sites that have been completed, he specifies, thereby qualifying the result of this initial assessment.
A multitude of financing
Nevertheless, school renovation seems to be accelerating. “Over the last 24 months, we have supported 410 projects, an increase of around 20% compared to 2022,” observes Augustin Bouet, vice-president of the public sector and business division at Hellio, a company specializing in energy renovation. A dynamic that can be explained in part by a “change in the mentality of mayors,” points out Olivier Sichel. Previously, it was the opening of a new school that was rewarding. Now, there is a real awareness of artificialization of soils and the renovation is better regarded by residents.”
Another factor: the range of existing mechanisms to finance such work. Beyond the EduRenov plan of the Banque des Territoires – with an envelope of two billion euros in loans – the management of the Caisse des Dépôts has also put on the table, in 2023, 50 million euros of engineering credits over five years to help communities bring their projects to fruition. At this stage, 340 million euros of loans have been granted under the EduRenov plan and 15 million euros for engineering.
The government’s ambition also relies on the green fund, with two billion euros to subsidize local authorities in energy renovation and sobriety projects. Finally, there is the possibility for municipalities to turn to the Banque des Territoires to take out a specific loan called “the intractant”. A system that, for example, allowed Florian Bercault (DVG), mayor of Laval (Mayenne), to finance the renovation of the Jules Verne school. “Without this mechanism, this work would not have been able to be completed in the short term,” he explains. What is special about this loan? The repayment of the sums committed is made thanks to the energy savings made. “We will have a return on investment in 12 years,” explains the mayor of the city. In the end, by insulating the exterior walls of this school of 314 students and installing LED lights, the establishment has divided its energy bill “by half”, according to the Hellio company which supported the municipality in this project. Total cost of the work: 350,000 euros.
Please note that the local investment support grant (DSIL) and the rural area equipment grant (DETR) can also support school renovation projects and be combined with the green fund.
Economic and structural brakes
However, some municipalities are still struggling to get projects off the ground, as they are too costly. On average, a complete renovation costs 1,500 m2 for a rural school2/five – six classes) between 1.5 and 2.2 million euros, or more than 1,500 euros per square meter. A substantial budget that requires cities to spread their renovation projects over ten years. “Mayors have also reported to us that construction companies in their area are overloaded, which adds a disruptive element to the proper development of a local renovation plan,” the Banque des Territoires tells us.
The institution is tending towards optimism since “1,900 new projects are currently identified with 825 calls for tenders in progress”, defends Olivier Sichel. A pace that will allow 4,000 projects to be financed in 2025. From there to achieving the objectives set by the executive? Elected officials are more skeptical, due to the budget cut of 400 million euros from the green fund decided by the government last February. “We are worried about the future of the green fund and these are municipalities that risk paying the price if budget cuts are decided “, says Frédéric Leturque, Mayor of Arras (various centers) and co-president of the Education Commission of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF). Especially since, given the current public deficit, the government could once again revise its budget downwards in favor of the ecological transition.