Thirteen public buildings are becoming more energy-efficient, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 55%.
In the presence of Charleroi Mayor Thomas DERMINE, the city’s aldermen and many project partners, the newly renovated École de Ransart Bois was officially inaugurated on 20 May 2026. The school is one of 13 public buildings included in Charleroi’s ambitious renovation programme. Launched in 2022 under a 15-year Energy Performance Contract (EPC), the project represents an investment of nearly €66 million and ranks among the largest energy renovation projects in the public sector in Wallonia.
École de Ransart Bois as a tangible example of the energy transition
École de Ransart Bois perfectly illustrates the ambition behind the project. With an investment of more than €4 million, the site underwent a major transformation, including:
- raising one wing of the building to create three new classrooms using a prefabricated timber structure mounted on a metal frame
- insulating 828 m² of façades and 1,771 m² of roofing
- replacing 351 m² of window frames with solar-control glazing
- installing a double-flow ventilation system and LED lighting
- installing 70 kWp of photovoltaic panels
- bringing the site into compliance with fire safety, gas and electrical standards
The results are impressive: electricity consumption is down by 59%, gas consumption by 51% and CO2 emissions by 52%.
A large-scale renovation programme covering 13 municipal buildings
The project spans 13 strategic sites across the city and combines energy renovation with compliance work relating to electricity, gas and fire safety. It covers 5 schools, 6 sports complexes, a nursery and a multi-purpose hall. Works to the building envelope have largely been completed, while the final HVAC installations and compliance works are currently being finalised. Full completion is scheduled for early next year.
Across all the sites concerned, the Energy Performance Contract will reduce primary energy consumption by 42%. CO2 emissions will also fall by 1,300 tonnes per year, while comfort levels will significantly improve across 46,326 m² of renovated buildings.
The works include the renovation of 13 boiler rooms, the installation of one biomass boiler and four heat pumps, the insulation of more than 25,000 m² of roofing and 20,000 m² of façades, the replacement of nearly 7,000 m² of external window frames and the installation of 630 kWp of photovoltaic panels. Against a backdrop of volatile energy markets, these savings give the City of Charleroi not only environmental benefits but also greater budgetary certainty.
Alongside energy savings, strong emphasis was also placed on safety and compliance. Each building was upgraded to meet fire safety, gas and electrical standards, enabling the city to provide users with safe, future-ready infrastructure.
Energy performance with respect for heritage and the human story
The Charleroi project shows that energy efficiency and compliance can go hand in hand with respect for cultural heritage and the human significance of public buildings. A few striking examples include:
- At the Mont-sur-Marchienne Sports Complex, in addition to insulating nearly 4,000 m² of roofing and reinforcing the roof structures, Luminus Solutions also restored the mural by renowned painter, sculptor and engraver Raoul UBAC (1910-1985). This artwork, which adorns the outer façade of the complex, was carefully preserved and restored as part of the energy renovation works, in close collaboration with the artist’s heirs.
- At the Ransart Sports Centre, during the renovation of the façades, Luminus Solutions, at the city’s request, preserved an in memoriam tribute to Kevin MAUCOURANT, a respected educator and member of BAC09, a supporters’ club of Sporting Charleroi, who died in a road accident. This mural, originally created by his friends from the club on the old façade, was carefully reproduced in high resolution on the new building envelope. The gesture reflects the project team’s commitment to respecting the memory and values of the local sports community and shows that the energy transition can also be part of a broader social and human approach.
- At École de Bosquetville, the complete renovation of 1,731 m² of façades was carried out with particular attention to enhancing the building’s architectural heritage. The works made it possible to combine high-performing thermal insulation with respect for the school’s original appearance, showing that energy efficiency and architectural preservation are fully compatible.
These examples reflect the project’s broad ambition: to make buildings more energy-efficient and safer without losing sight of their identity, heritage value or human significance.
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- Mural art at Mont-sur-Marchienne
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- In memoriam at Ransart
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- The school at Bosquetville
A lever for the local economy, the environment and society
The project’s impact extends well beyond energy savings alone. Thanks to partnerships with regional stakeholders such as intermunicipal company IGRETEC and many local businesses, including BEMAT, Duchêne, Sanideal, 2BHVAC, Axo, Servais, Colasse, Jordan, E.R.A., Enerma, Insaver, Ceppi and Luminus subsidiaries Newelec and Insaver, a significant share of the added value also flows back into the region. More than 16,000 working hours were devoted to on-the-job training or entrusted to social economy enterprises. Overall, this investment is equivalent to around 150 jobs per year over the lifetime of the project, taking both direct and indirect employment into account.
Air quality is also improving thanks to the many ventilation systems installed in schools and sports halls.
The EPC as a driver of the energy transition
An Energy Performance Contract is an innovative model that enables a public authority to achieve sustainable, guaranteed energy savings. It brings design, delivery and maintenance together in one integrated approach and places overall responsibility for both the works and the maintenance of the technical installations with Luminus Solutions for the full duration of the contract.
Raoul NIHART, CEO of Luminus Solutions: “École de Ransart Bois shows that energy performance, user comfort and respect for the environment can go perfectly hand in hand. For local authorities, the EPC is a powerful instrument for accelerating the energy transition while also helping to build a strong regional economy.”
Grégoire DALLEMAGNE, CEO of Luminus: “We are very pleased to be working with the City of Charleroi and RenoWatt to sustainably reduce the energy consumption of public buildings through an Energy Performance Contract. We thank both partners for their trust in this collaboration.”
Thomas DERMINE, Mayor of Charleroi: “The inauguration of École de Ransart Bois marks an important step in our energy transition strategy. Investing in less energy-intensive buildings is not only sound public management; it also sustainably reduces the City’s expenditure, improves user comfort and supports the local economy through useful, forward-looking investments.”