Energy transition: how social housing providers manage their spending and performance through digitization

The energy transition is a key concern for social housing providers, who face a triple challenge: renovating their housing stock, constructing low-carbon buildings, and controlling rental costs. While energy-efficient renovation and sustainable construction are major levers, digital invoice management, particularly via the Approved Platform (PA) Freedz, is emerging as a strategic tool for managing energy consumption and optimizing expenses. Here's how.

Energy renovation and low-carbon construction: essential priorities

Reducing energy expenditure requires, first and foremost, a profound transformation of social housing. Social landlords are subject to strict regulations, such as RE 2020. ¹ and the Tertiary Decree*, which impose ambitious targets for reducing consumption and CO2 emissions. This translates into:

• Thermal renovationof older homes, whichare often energy-inefficient, through insulation, replacement of heating equipment, or installation of solar panels.
• The construction of low-carbon buildings, incorporating bio-based materials and bioclimatic design to limit the environmental footprint and guarantee long-term energy savings.
• Access to financial aid(CEE, MaPrimeRénov’, Fonds Chaleur) to support these investments, given that 7.4% of social housing stock is still classified as “energy inefficient” (2024 figures). In addition, 15% of social housing is still classified as E, meaning that 750,000 homes are set to disappear from the rental market by 2034.

 Focus on the tertiary decree *

Social landlords are affected by the tertiary decree because they own and manage many buildings for tertiary use, such as offices, business premises, or common areas in residences, which often exceed the regulatory threshold of 1,000 m². This decree, which stems from the Energy and Climate Law, requires all owners and managers of public or private tertiary buildings, including social landlords, to gradually reduce their energy consumption: 40% by 2030, 50% by 2040, and 60% by 2050, compared to a reference year.

This measure, known as "Eco Energy Tertiary," aims to engage the tertiary sector in the ecological transition and combat climate change. Each year, the parties concerned must report their consumption on the OPERAT platform and implement action plans to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. Administrative penalties are provided for in the event of non-compliance with these obligations. In summary, the tertiary decree is a regulatory pillar of the energy transition, which requires tertiary building managers to adopt an energy efficiency approach and to closely monitor changes in their consumption.

However, for these efforts to bear full fruit, it is essential to rely on detailed and responsive energy consumption management, which requires complete control over billing and rebilling flows.

Freedz PDP: a lever for streamlining energy management and rebilling

The Freedz platform provides a concrete solution to the complexity of managing energy flows in social housing:

• Centralization and automation of energy supplier invoices: Freedz collects all invoices (electricity, gas, water, etc.) from the largest energy suppliers (Engie, Dalkia, TotalEnergies, etc.) and integrates them into the social landlord's information system, thereby facilitating consumption monitoring and multi-site management.

The Tertiary Eco-Energy Scheme (DEET) requires companies to report the final energy consumption data for the buildings concerned on the OPERAT platform. Freedz saves time by providing better access to consumption data.

• Simplified billing for tenants: Freedz makes it easy to bill tenants for the energy they consume. A real advantage for a time-consuming control activity.

Let's take the example of EDF's electricity consumption. EDF's electronic bills include energy consumption data for each of a customer's delivery points on the Freedz platform. This information can then be automatically retrieved and used. This illustrates the full potential of electronic billing: when combined with an analysis tool, it offers customers the ability to accurately track changes in their consumption over time, point by point.

• Flexibility when changing suppliers: the platform adapts seamlessly, ensuring continuity of management even when changing contracts or service providers. Consumption histories are retained, preventing any loss of information or disputes.
• Anomaly detection and optimization: Energy and fluids account for a significant portion of operating costs. Excessive consumption, whether from energy-intensive equipment or poorly insulated buildings, can quickly add to the bill.

The example of water. Water, on the other hand, can signal much more critical problems. A sudden increase in consumption can indicate a major leak. And even though these incidents usually occur before the point of delivery—and are therefore the responsibility of the supplier—they can cause considerable damage to the premises, even rendering them unusable. Hence the importance of being able to detect them without delay.

Thanks to the automated receipt and processing of electronic invoices, real estate professionals can feed data into management tools that can quickly identify anomalies and trigger alerts, facilitating rapid intervention.

Towards proactive and sustainable energy management through digitization

The integration of a paperless platform such as Freedz is fundamentally transforming energy management for social landlords. By centralizing and automating billing flows, managers have a clear, real-time view of the energy consumption of their property portfolio. This increased visibility not only makes it easier for them to comply with regulatory obligations, such as the annual declaration on the OPERAT platform under the tertiary decree, but also to anticipate renovation or investment needs to improve the energy performance of buildings.

By leveraging digitalization, social housing providers are adopting sustainable, agile, and responsive management practices that address environmental challenges while controlling costs and increasing tenant satisfaction.

(1) The 2020 environmental regulations are the current regulations, which, for new buildings, aim to limit the impact of construction on the planet, while ensuring comfort and low energy consumption.