Lower the heating, reduce the lighting, change uses: the three shots have been fired for energy sobriety in theaters and cinemas, in order to reduce consumption by 10%, according to instructions from the Government.
At the end of September, the National Federation of French Cinema presented its advice to reduce the bill: heat to 19°C, turn off unnecessary lights, reduce the number of screenings. But making theaters consume less energy requires investment.
Say goodbye to traditional lighting
From the Zénith to the Paris Opera, almost every theater has already changed, or is in the process of changing, its conventional light bulbs to LEDs. The Opéra Comique and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées will accelerate the replacement of their energy-intensive halogen stage projectors with LED projectors.
The case is a bit more complex on the cinema side: the new generation of projectors, equipped with laser light that consumes 4 to 7 times less electricity, has a prohibitive price (approximately 40,000 euros per projector, for a fleet of 6,200). . The basic gesture of turning off the lights will also be reinforced.
“We decided to cut the lights, including general lighting at midnight and when there is no activity,” Thibaud de Camas, deputy director general of the Philharmonie, told AFP.
In most theaters, including Jean-Marc Dumontet’s six Parisian theaters, instructions have been given to encourage employees to perform virtuosic gestures.
Find alternatives to heat the room
The rooms will apply the government directive to lower the temperature to 19 degrees in offices and public spaces.
In large spaces such as the Pierre Boulez hall (2,400 seats) of the Paris Philharmonic, Thibaud de Camas clarifies, however, that the temperature is not homogeneous, “with 19 degrees on the floor and a little more on the last balcony, because turn up the heat.”
The Philharmonic may switch to recycled air to reduce the supply of new air, which consumes more energy. This had been increased during the Covid period to avoid contamination.
On the other hand, it does not lower the bill: since the spring there has been a 40% increase in the Philharmonie (400,000 euros of additional expenses in 2022).
Other exceptions: “It may be necessary to guarantee a temperature adapted to the nature of your activity, that is, above 21 degrees,” Martin Ajdari, deputy director general, told AFP.
With its two rooms (the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille, that is, 185,000 m2), the Opera consumes “electricity like a city of 8,000 inhabitants”, according to him. Consumption has already been reduced by 15% between 2010 and 2020. “Smart Impulse” detectors have been installed to monitor energy consumption at Garnier and currently at Bastille.
At the Théâtre de Chaillot, a thermal renovation has already been carried out in the Salle Gémier in recent years; with the works of the Salle Jean Vilar that will begin in January (until 2025) to modernize the equipment, free up spaces and change the deteriorated air units, “there will be an energy gain of more than 55%”, according to Reda Soufi, general manager.
Invest to reduce the bill
Eventually, several theaters hope to invest in other projects to further reduce consumption. Thus, at the Opera, the question of “thermal sieves” arises, such as the glass façade of the Opéra Bastille, designed in the 1980s, its ceilings, or the poorly insulated windows of the Palais Garnier, which will require specific treatment by be a listed monument.
“The energy bill has more than doubled, all of our charges are going up with inflation, our public hasn’t fully returned yet, so there’s a difficult jackknifing effect that we’re going to have to control by being responsible,” according to Martin Ajdari.
At the Comédie-Française, and in particular at its fixed workshops in Sarcelles, subsidies had been obtained to insulate the buildings, but others will be needed to install solar panels and, above all, for the energy renovation of the historic Richelieu room, which it would cost several million euros (window insulation, roofs, etc.).
For some, the question arises according to the typology of shows such as the Paris La Défense Arena (up to 40,000 people, without heating or air conditioning between 16° and 26°). “A concert by rapper Ninho with people moving and dancing, raises the temperature by 4 degrees,” we explain.
Source: BFM TV
