At the Intelligent Building Systems trade show, Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Voltalis announced a partnership to develop solutions that make energy flexibility more accessible and deployable for commercial buildings. This collaboration combines Siemens’ recognised expertise in building management systems with Voltalis’ know how in intelligent control of electricity consumption.
By late 2024, RTE (France’s transmission system operator) noted that the tertiary sector accounts for more than 30% of France’s total energy consumption and urged building stakeholders to take action to make electrical flexibility both accessible and scalable. This call comes in a context where France needs to unlock around 10 GW of flexibility capacity by 2030.
On September 30, after several months of study, Siemens and Voltalis entered into a strategic partnership to combine their expertise and enable the deployment of energy flexibility in buildings equipped with Siemens solutions.
Electrical flexibility offers a threefold benefit: it contributes to balancing the power grid, helps end users reduce their consumption especially during periods of high energy prices and actively supports the energy transition by lowering overall CO₂ emissions.
The partnership integrates Siemens’ Building X platform with Voltalis’ flexibility platform via a digital interface that automates interaction between buildings and flexibility operators, helping stabilise the power grid. The initiative has been designed to be compatible with the FlexReady label, which certifies that a building is ready to adjust its electricity consumption according to grid needs. This will enable small and medium-sized commercial buildings to access flexibility services easily, securely, and without any renovation.
In the first phase, the collaboration will launch pilot projects to define the most suitable commercialisation model. The goal is to make this service available to Siemens customers by 2026, with the ambition of progressively connecting thousands of commercial buildings ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 m². In doing so, the partnership supports the objectives of the BACS Decree by accelerating the adoption of Building Management Systems (BMS) among the more than 300,000 small tertiary buildings in France, the vast majority of which are not yet equipped with such solutions. By 2030, the sector supported notably by RTE and Gimelec aims to equip 100,000 of them.
Doris Birkhofer, President of Siemens France and Managing Director of Siemens Smart Infrastructure France, stated:
This partnership illustrates our commitment to innovating alongside French grid stakeholders to offer our customers high-value, easy-to-access services. By combining our technologies with Voltalis’ expertise, customers will benefit from flexibility without technical constraints, while contributing to grid balance and the energy transition.
Mathieu Bineau, CEO of Voltalis, added:
Partnering with Siemens, a leader in building management solutions, enables Voltalis to rapidly mobilise several gigawatts of flexibility. This is a major step toward more adaptive, intelligent, and decarbonised buildings, empowering them to actively balance the grid by managing their energy consumption.
This partnership reflects the shared ambition of Siemens and Voltalis to innovate and create greater value for users by offering an efficient, simple, and accessible solution. It facilitates the deployment of energy management systems that help consumers reduce electricity consumption and accelerate the energy transition.
Press contacts :
| Siemens: APCO Phone: +33 (0)7 64 47 23 91 Email: siemensfrance@apcoworldwide.com | Voltalis: Shan Agency Phone: +33 (0)6 16 04 63 33 Email: voltalis@shan.fr |