The national energy ombudsman – Jean Gaubert – recently presented an assessment of activity during 2013. During his presentation, he talked about the renovation of condominium risers and there was a discussion on the rehabilitation of these installations.

A big deal

The national energy ombudsman mainly focused on the problems existing in the condominium risers. He specified that currently 300,000 risers are used in condominiums. The majority of these installations are not in accordance with the required standards and some have problems at the property level. According to the Ombudsman, renovation work is to be undertaken to restore them. The cost of the works, however, represents a huge amount.

The assessment of activity assessed the rehabilitation cost of condominium risers. Jean Gaubert talked about a €6 billion budget. This subject, in his point of view, need to be discussed as fast as possible to avoid substantial work that could have the same effects as that of Mulhouse which required the urgent renovation of gas pipelines. The replacement of all the cast iron installations resulted in huge expense.

Urgent measures

During this presentation, the mediator wanted to alert people in charge to take the necessary measures to solve the problem. He argued that it is important to act quickly. These measures, he said, are essential to ensure timely maintenance of the condominium risers. It should be remembered that these installations are incorporated into public distribution networks of electricity. Their renewal is therefore the responsibility of the owners. Most of these old risers are outdated. The renewal of these installations is therefore essential to ensure safety in condominiums. Their poor condition leads to blockages in the distribution network of electricity and no longer allows the installation of new meters or an increase in power. Maintenance work is therefore imperative to allow condominiums to have a better energy transport system.