The Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group joins forces with ADEME and signs a seven-year “Heat Fund” framework contract to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and develop thermal renewable energies.

First "Heat Fund" framework contract signed by a service sector company.

The Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group is committed to improving the energy efficiency of service sector buildings and to the ambitious and controlled development of renewable thermal energies and energy recovery at its sites.

Sylvain Waserman, Chairman and CEO of ADEME, and Franck Gervais, CEO of the Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group, today signed the first seven-year "Heat Fund" framework contract in the service sector.

The Group is committed to drastically reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with its businesses and last year validated its emissions reduction trajectory using the methodology of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Its carbon reduction goals include a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 (compared with 2019) relative to energy consumption (buildings, equipment). More recently, the Group has signed up for an ACT assessment, the methodology developed by ADEME, to assess its decarbonisation strategy.

On its path to reach this goal, the Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group has joined forces with ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency) to improve energy efficiency and develop renewable heating and cooling solutions in several of its key tourism villages and residences.

A first "Heat Fund" framework contract between ADEME and PVCP from 2023 to 2030

ADEME will support the Pierre & Vacances brand in its project to produce heating and cooling from renewable and recovered energies (RE&R) aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and improving the energy efficiency of its tourism buildings. In practical terms, this means feasibility studies, recommendations and proposals on technical and financial solutions for potential projects, a review of the indicators for monitoring the process, and guidance on funding to reduce the energy consumption of the brand's residences in a sustainable way.

Five Pierre & Vacances pilot sites in mainland France and the French West Indies

The work with ADEME will initially focus on five Pierre & Vacances sites located in Normandy, the Alps and the French West Indies, setting up work groups to identify concrete solutions to reduce energy consumption for heating and/or air conditioning, ensure renewable heating and cooling production, and ultimately decarbonise these pilot sites: the “Résidence et Spa” residence in Houlgate, “Normandy Garden” in Branville, “Les Alpages de Chantel – Roseland” in Arc 1800 and the villages of Sainte Anne in Guadeloupe and Sainte Luce in Martinique.

"Pierre & Vacances is committed to offering low-carbon local holidays. With these five pilot sites, the Group's historic brand aims to deliver a reduction in energy consumption 10 years ahead of the requirements of the Eco Energy Decree (i.e. -50% by 2030) and 65% renewable energy coverage (cooling and heating) at all the sites concerned by this framework contract. We are delighted to be working with ADEME at these sites, which offer strong leverage in terms of decarbonisation, as well as specific issues such as cooling production in the French West Indies," said Grégory Sion, CEO of Pierre & Vacances.

"We are very proud to be the first service sector company to sign the "Heat Fund" framework contract with the French Agency for Ecological Transition. Through this partnership, the Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group can count on ADEME support to carry out large-scale projects and offer more responsible destinations. This approach aims to step up the development of renewable energies on our sites and encourage collaboration through actions and solutions that are relevant to our business model and in the interests of our partners, the individual owners", said Franck Gervais, CEO of the Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group.

"The framework contract signed with the Pierre & Vacances Group illustrates the support offered by ADEME to major groups in the tourism industry and, more broadly, in the service sector, to help them decarbonise their activities and meet the requirements of the Eco Energy Decree ahead of time, while reducing the carbon impact of their sites, better controlling their costs, and also responding to strong demand from their partners and customers. I hope this operation will inspire fresh momentum to accelerate the ecological transition in the regions! This is why we are launching a new call for projects entitled "Decarbonising the tertiary sector" (DETER), in which we are offering group funding for feasibility studies and the implementation of heat production solutions," said Sylvain Waserman, Chairman and CEO of ADEME.