France's Eco Energie Tertiaire requirement combines long-term reduction targets with annual reporting through ADEME's OPERAT platform. It is also called the dispositif Eco Energie Tertiaire or décret tertiaire.
The rule is wider than an equipment-monitoring project. It assigns a regulatory entity, floor area, activity and annual final-energy record to each covered part of the property. Operational meters and building controls help explain and reduce that consumption, but the reporting boundary must be correct first.
Which property is covered
Article R. 174-22 covers commercial and non-commercial tertiary activity in three forms:
- a building used exclusively for tertiary activities with at least 1,000 m² of floor area;
- the cumulative tertiary parts of a mixed-use building when they reach at least 1,000 m²;
- buildings on the same land unit or site whose cumulative tertiary activities reach at least 1,000 m².
The threshold is cumulative. Dividing one 1,200 m² tertiary site into three 400 m² buildings does not take it out of scope. If an activity ceases after the property was in scope, the remaining owners or tenants can remain subject even when the active tertiary area falls below 1,000 m².
Temporary construction, places of worship and premises used for operational defence, civil-security or internal-security activities are excluded. Other questions, such as mixed activities, changes of tenant and allocation between owner and tenant, need to be resolved against the current code and OPERAT guidance for that property.
Two ways to meet each target
Article L. 174-1 provides two alternative target paths for each covered functional entity.
| Path | 2030 | 2040 | 2050 | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relative reduction | At least 40% | At least 50% | At least 60% | A chosen reference year's final-energy consumption, with the reference no earlier than 2010 |
| Absolute value | Current activity target | Current activity target | Current activity target | Final energy per square metre per year for the category, adjusted through the statutory method |
The absolute values depend on the activity category and its intensity indicators. They are defined through the implementing orders, rather than by one universal kWh/m² value. OPERAT calculates the available relative and absolute targets from the declared entity, area, activity and consumption data.
Targets can be modulated for technical, architectural or heritage constraints, disproportionate cost, activity volume and other cases defined by the code and implementing order. A modulation is a documented statutory process, not a dashboard setting. Preserve the technical file, assumptions and source data used to support it.
What OPERAT records
OPERAT is the official collection and monitoring platform for the scheme. Owners and, where applicable, tenants use it to identify covered functional entities and report annual energy and activity information. The platform returns an annual consumption statement and an Eco Energie Tertiaire rating.
The current OPERAT notice sets 30 September 2026 as the deadline for declaring 2025 consumption. This is a live programme date. Check the platform for the current year before putting a deadline into a contract or calendar.
A workable source register has one row per declared functional entity and records:
| Field | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| Entity identity | OPERAT identifier, address, owner, tenant and responsible reporter |
| Tertiary boundary | Floor plan, floor area, activity category and mixed-use allocation |
| Energy types | Electricity, gas, district heat or cooling, fuels and other covered final energy |
| Annual totals | Supplier statements or the accepted source for each supply and period |
| Reference year | Complete source bills and the reason the year is representative |
| Activity intensity | Occupancy, opening hours, production, beds, meals, workstations or another category-specific indicator |
| Adjustments | Weather and activity data used by the applicable OPERAT calculation |
| Changes | Meter replacement, tenant change, floor-area change, vacancy, new generation or a changed allocation method |
Keep the original supplier or meter evidence alongside any uploaded or calculated value. A CSV export is a transfer format, not the evidence that the number represents the right building.
Build the meter boundary before the dashboard
Start with the supply account and the physical topology.
For each electricity, gas, heat or cooling supply, mark the fiscal meter and every covered or excluded area downstream. Then identify shared plant, tenant meters, landlord services, on-site generation, export, electric-vehicle charging and any load whose consumption appears in another entity.
The annual balance should be understandable:
declared supply = covered entities + excluded or separately declared uses + common areas + losses and timing differences
The terms on the right may not all be separately metered. Where one is estimated, record the method, source interval and person responsible. Do not silently change an allocation when a tenant or meter changes. Otherwise a reported reduction can be an accounting change rather than an energy improvement.
On-site solar and export
The reporting method for purchased energy, on-site generation, self-consumption and export follows the current scheme rules and platform fields. Operationally, keep three records separate:
- import and export at the grid connection;
- generation at the inverter or generation feeder;
- consumption at the building boundary.
If the site adds PV, grid import can fall while building consumption remains unchanged. The solar PV monitoring guide gives the meter placement needed to distinguish them.
Mixed owners and tenants
A landlord's main meter can cover several tenant entities and common plant. A tenant bill can include energy allocated through a private meter. Name who owns each declaration field, who supplies the annual figure, who can correct it and how the landlord total reconciles with the tenant values.
A submeter used for allocation may need a jurisdiction-specific approval and contractual acceptance. An IEC accuracy class alone does not approve it for billing. The high-accuracy metering guide explains the distinction.
Use interval data to explain the annual total
Annual values show whether consumption moved. Interval and equipment data show why.
| Question | Useful operational evidence |
|---|---|
| Is the building running when it is empty? | Half-hourly or finer load at the supply, occupancy and operating schedule |
| Did an HVAC change save energy? | HVAC feeder energy, heating or cooling output, outdoor conditions, occupied conditions and operating state |
| Did a new tenant cause the increase? | Stable tenant boundary, move-in date, floor area and activity intensity |
| Is the reduction caused by solar rather than lower consumption? | Import, export, generation and self-consumption on aligned intervals |
| Is one annual value incomplete? | Cumulative meter registers, supplier totals, missing-interval flags and replacement dates |
| Did control reduce a peak but not annual energy? | Interval demand, shifted energy and the recovery period |
Reconcile cumulative operational registers with the annual source used for OPERAT. State the expected difference from meter class, CT location, transformer losses, billing periods and missing data. Investigate a step change instead of applying an unexplained scaling factor.
How OPERAT relates to BACS
Eco Energie Tertiaire and the French BACS decree have different triggers and duties.
| Requirement | Main trigger | Main record |
|---|---|---|
| Eco Energie Tertiaire | At least 1,000 m² of cumulative tertiary activity, subject to exclusions | Annual final-energy reduction and OPERAT declaration |
| BACS decree | Heating or air-conditioning output above 70 kW in covered non-residential buildings | Hourly zoned energy analysis, adjustment and control functions, retained data, maintenance and inspection |
A property can fall under either rule, both or neither. A BACS can produce the operational data that helps deliver the tertiary target. It does not submit the OPERAT declaration by itself. An OPERAT account and annual bill totals do not provide the automation and inspection functions required by BACS. The French BACS guide covers that system boundary.
Where EpiSensor fits
EpiSensor can add independent electricity measurement at supplies and equipment feeders, collect pulses from existing gas, water or heat meters, and integrate documented Modbus or BACnet points through an Edge Gateway. Local storage keeps a continuous operational record during an upstream outage. The collected data can be served to the owner's reporting or energy-management system.
That record is useful for reconciling annual totals, finding baseload, separating HVAC and tenant use, and verifying whether an action changed consumption. EpiSensor does not determine legal scope, make the OPERAT declaration, approve an allocation between parties or turn an operational submeter into a fiscal meter.
Begin with the energy-monitoring project worksheet. Fix the declared entities and physical boundaries, then use the System Builder to map the required measurement interfaces.
Common questions
Which buildings are covered by Eco Energie Tertiaire?
The rule covers buildings used wholly for tertiary activity, tertiary parts of mixed-use buildings and groups of buildings on the same land unit or site when the cumulative tertiary floor area is at least 1,000 m². Temporary construction, places of worship and operational defence, civil-security and internal- security activities are excluded by Article R. 174-22.
What must be reported to OPERAT?
Covered owners and, where applicable, tenants declare the functional entity, activity and intensity data, floor area, annual final-energy consumption by energy type and the information needed for the reference and target calculation. Use the current OPERAT guidance for the exact fields and allocation of duties.
What are the 2030, 2040 and 2050 targets?
Each covered entity must achieve either a relative reduction of at least 40% in 2030, 50% in 2040 and 60% in 2050 against a reference year no earlier than 2010, or the applicable absolute consumption target for its activity. OPERAT calculates the available targets from the declared information.
Is OPERAT the same requirement as the French BACS decree?
No. Eco Energie Tertiaire is based mainly on at least 1,000 m² of cumulative tertiary floor area and annual consumption reduction and reporting. BACS is triggered by heating or air-conditioning output above 70 kW and requires specified automation, analysis, control, retention and inspection functions.