Tunisia on course for housing energy efficiency

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In 2018, housing accounted for almost 26% of Tunisia’s total energy consumption, a figure that has prompted the introduction of an ambitious energy efficiency policy for the residential housing sector, in order to combat climate change. For Tunisia, it is also a matter of reducing its trade deficit and bolstering its energy independence.
  Tunisia has regulations on thermal efficiency in the residential housing sector and requires energy audits for planned constructions, while refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines are subject to energy labelling. This labelling is soon to be extended to television sets and lighting.
 
Several programmes are expected help Tunisians improve their energy efficiency: Promo-Isol targets better insulation in individual housing roofing; Promo-Frigo is helping to replace 400,000 refrigerators that are ten years old or more, and therefore high energy consumers; Promo-Led should allow almost four million incandescent bulbs to be replaced with LED bulbs.
 
In 2019, the country’s energy saving agency, the ANME, and Italy’s national agency for technology and sustainable economic development ENEA, put in place financing aimed at boosting these three programmes. The two agencies plan to set up a unit specializing in conformity and energy performance testing for lighting equipment.

An écoBAT building certification scheme exists on an experimental level, enabling the most energy efficient new and old buildings to be identified under a “High Energy Efficiency” classification. The certification is based on three factors: the building envelope, technical equipment and resource management (energy, water and waste). The envelope and technical equipment account for 90% of the marks. The label is granted when a building’s score exceeds the maximum performance level by 20% for old buildings and 30% for new. Several projects are currently in the process of obtaining the label.
 
In June, 2019, the Tunisian government set up in interdepartmental committee to draw up a roadmap for making it compulsory to show the thermal and energy performance ratings of new buildings for rentals or purchases. This measure should be applied first to commercial buildings and, later, to residential buildings.