This message was one of the unexpected rumours of the summer. In mid-August, the ecologist MP for Paris Sandrine Rousseau posted a tweet on the social network X about the need to protect ourselves from the impending heat wave. “Today it will be between 35°C and 40°C in Paris. Many concrete buildings do not have shutters on the windows. Families, children and sick people live there. Global warming is accelerating and we do not even have shutters… Only shutters.”writes. The message, the subject of mockery, will reach 2 million views and generate several thousand comments, such as “Do you know this wonderful invention called air conditioning? » EITHER “Put up the curtains!”
At the public meetings that the City of Paris has been holding for two years on the energy-efficient renovation of condominiums, in order to guide owners who are often confused in their work, the subject of shutters comes up very frequently during questions. “During the debates, comfort in summer and the habitability of housing during heat waves are increasingly being considered.says Dan Lert, deputy mayor of Paris, responsible for the ecological transition and the climate plan. Paris is a very mineral city built in a temperate climate – which is no longer the climate today – so the buildings are not suitable. »
In the spring of 2023, a study in the scientific journal The Lancet Planetary Health has placed the French capital at the top of the list of European cities where the risk of mortality in the event of a heat wave is highest. “This is, in fact, a major public health problem; on a zinc roof the temperature can be 70°C or even 80°C. If it is not insulated, the accommodation below is not habitable, with temperatures of 30°C at night.”the elected official continues.
“There is no clear rule”
However, the Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) points out that the presence of shutters allows the interior temperature to be reduced by 2°C when the outside temperature is at its highest. Close the shutters during the day. “can reduce air conditioning needs by 60%”adds the ecological transition agency.
This simple solution, which is less expensive than other thermal renovation measures, is nevertheless subject to planning permission and may be opposed by the French building architects (ABF), a profession under the Ministry of Culture responsible for protecting heritage. In Paris, a city eminently rich in historical monuments, 97% of built surfaces are subject to the ABF’s opinion, of which three-quarters are opinions. “obedient” – which are essential.
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