The Varilhes entertainment center was fully equipped to receive the majority (205 municipalities represented) of the representatives of the 306 municipalities and 8 interurban municipalities that belong to the Ariège Departmental Energy Union. All were present at the general meeting, the main purpose of which was to vote on the original budget.
This amount is expected to increase to 52,000,000 euros: this amount is divided into 22,000,000 euros of operating costs for an investment of 30,000,000 euros. In its main role of supporting the search for energy savings, as emphasized by its rapporteur Michel Icart, this budget is meant to be ambitious: it provides more than 15,000,000 euros for equipment expenses for the benefit of its members and wants to make the most of solving the problems that its members face they meet; Most of them have to manage the ever-increasing utility bill for months.
Effective measures to reduce the bill
Some actions have already proven their effectiveness, for example actions related to public lighting by replacing outdated light bulbs with LEDs. Note in this area that 183 municipalities of Ariège have implemented a program to turn off the lights at night, which has resulted in significant savings.
The agreement signed with the Agency for Ecological Transformation (ADEME) renewed for the period 2023-2026 will allow the use of flat-rate support from the heat fund with the aim of supporting the creation of biomass, geothermal, solar heat and heat network projects. The first signed agreement made it possible to support 25 projects, including 21 boilers for wood and 4 geothermal projects.
Land registry to facilitate the installation of solar panels
Connecting with a buying group to negotiate gas and electricity prices brings satisfaction. This group, originally associated with the unions of Tarn (coordinator), Aveyron, Cantal, Corrèze, Haute-Loire, Lot, Lozère, Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, will expand with the arrival of the unions of Gard and Pyrénées-Orientales.
The union also decided to establish a solar cadastre in the resort, which will facilitate the study of the possible installation of solar panels.
Electric charging stations have now entered the local landscape. There are 503 terminals in operation for 18,000 connections recorded in 2023, an increase of 14%.
Last but not least, the association is ready to support energy renovation projects in public buildings (evaluation, program development, financing studies).