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launched in 2014. If the effective production is lower than the esti- mate by more than 10%, the differ- ence will be refunded. This offering removes a significant obstacle to private owners decision to equip their homes.

FACILITATING FINANCING Each country, or even region, of- fers businesses and homeowners aides and subsidies aimed at en- couraging them to reduce their energy consumption. Rexel plays an important role in assisting them with their administrative re- quirements and applications. As an example, Rexel launched in 2013 Primexel, a service to man- age energy efficiency certificate (Certificats d'Economie d'Energie CEE) applications with energy sup- pliers, on behalf of its custom- ers. Installers can take advantage of these subsidies in the form of credit notes from Rexel, keeping

in mind that they must pass on at least 25% of the bonus to the end-user. Around 50 eco-efficient solutions (heating, lighting, venti- lation, insulation, renewable ener- gies) are eligible, in both residen- tial and commercial construction. Rexel also offers bridge financ- ing and framework contracts al- lowing customers to finance their installations through the ener- gy savings they generate. These solutions meet customer expec- tations and will undoubtedly de- velop further.

Financing lighting retrofits through energy savings

How can lighting installations be retrofitted at virtually no cost? When Rexel offered to replace the fluorescent tubes in a chain store with eco-efficient LED lamps, potential savings were estimated at 80,000 kWh and 8,000 per store, for a total of nearly 1 million. This budget covered the location of LED equipment, at no added cost for the client, who can decide at any moment to purchase the equipment instead of renting it. Moreover, since the lifespan of LED is over three times greater than that of fluorescent lighting tubes, the stores also achieve maintenance savings. 40 stores were retrofitted by early 2015.

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POTENTIAL SAVINGS achieved by reducing energy waste by 20% in buildings in the US. (Department of Energy)

$80 bn per year