"Homes are an area in which the population and individuals can directly influence"

In 2016, Bertrand Piccard achieved the first flight around the world aboard Solar Impulse, a fuel-free plane. Today he defends the idea that ecology and economy can be reconciled. How will this credo materialize in the home of tomorrow? Here are the answers of an ambassador for clean technologies from the Solar Impulse Foundation which counts Adeo as a partner since March 2020.

The ecological transition will lead us to rethink our way of building and living. What is your vision for the homes of tomorrow?

We use and waste far too much energy. The search for efficiency must be the key word of today and tomorrow! Homes ar an area in which the population and individuals can act directly. A whole range of solutions exist to make it more sustainable and save resources: bio-sourced insulation materials, LED lighting, economical heaters, individualized energy meters, shower water recovery systems, heat pumps, photovoltaic panels , control of remote consumption ... Technologies are already there, but mentalities must change.

Why are behaviours moving less quickly than technologies? Is it a matter of cost?

Building more sober homes or renovating existing ones requires investment at the start, but it quickly becomes profitable thanks to the major energy savings made. Consumers must understand that they will not make financial sacrifices, and will in no way degrade their quality of life. On the contrary! Only a few years are enough to pay off insulation work or the installation of a heat pump. You gain in comfort, while significantly reducing invoices. In terms of renewable energies, photovoltaic installations are very profitable. They give access to the cheapest energy in the world. The challenge will now be to make its storage as cheap as its production. And in terms of collective housing, let's continue to install individual electricity and hot water meters. These are extraordinary levers of savings! Social landlords also have every interest in making their housing parks ever more sober. The more efficient they will be in terms of energy, the less they will cost society.

Two years ago, with the Solar Impulse Foundation you established a partnership with Adeo. Do you share the same vision for the home of tomorrow?

Indeed, with Adeo, we believe that it is possible to reconcile economy and ecology. Instead of great speeches on carbon neutrality and renewable energies, we prefer being pragmatic. Adeo, and more specifically Leroy Merlin stores, distribute solutions labeled by the Solar Impulse Foundation: bio-sourced insulation and roofing materials, economical and intelligent shower heads. The company registers sustainability, efficiency and environmental protection in everyday consumer goods. It offers its customers profitable and beneficial solutions to the environment. This helps to change mentalities. Our collaboration is a long term one. Together in 2021, we launched the "Positive Home Challenge". More than 300 innovative and sustainable product proposals were made by suppliers from around the world. Building on this success, in 2022 we launched the positive Home Challenge 2, and 50 new innovators on more than 300 candidates had the opportunity to present their solutions to ADEO product managers. More than 40 of them have aroused interest and several will be tested in Adeo stores around the world! This means commercial opportunities for innovators and more ecological homes for all.

Does the evolution towards this more efficient homes call us to rethink our economic development models?

It's up to us to go from the world of waste to that of efficiency! This is what I call "qualitative growth". This kind of growth makes it possible to create jobs, increase purchasing power and profitability, by replacing what pollutes, by what protects the environment. It is actually profitable to build housing that produces more energy than they consume. It will also be essential to modernize regulations to support the ecological transition in housing. Legislators must push for more efficiency. It must be taken into account within the framework of public procurement and made compulsory to respect certain standards. Otherwise, we will continue to have the right to legally issue CO2 in the atmosphere. To build this home of tomorrow, we must be as much logical as ecological.

Source: ADEO