Heat wave: air conditioning arrives in Nice schools

As the Alpes-Maritimes enters orange alert status, Eric Ciotti unveiled during a visit to Crémat school a plan to equip 147 schools with air conditioning by the 2027 school year.

Air conditioning that proves essential

This Monday, June 22, Eric Ciotti visited Crémat school. After touring the classrooms and chatting with primary school students, the mayor detailed his plan in response to soaring temperatures.

From the outset of the announcement, the context was set. The mayor regretfully mentioning the two children who died in a car today in Vaucluse. “We are facing an extremely violent heat wave episode”, he recalled.

Faced with heat episodes he describes as “increasingly intense, increasingly frequent and increasingly prolonged”, the response offered is pragmatic. Indeed, the city has launched an air conditioning plan for all Nice classrooms with a target set for 2027.

149 schools, 1,361 classrooms: a colossal undertaking

Nice currently has 149 schools (61 preschools, 68 elementary schools, 19 primary schools and one specialized school) totaling 1,361 classrooms, plus 99 kitchens and 180 dining halls. A project that proves ambitious but especially costly at 12 million euros.

Launched in April during a municipal council meeting, work has already been completed in three schools during spring break, including Crémat school. Château school is “nearly finished”.

Going forward, the city has appointed a consulting firm to assist project management on the remaining schools, with the objective of a fully operational contract in January 2027. And the summer promises to be crucial:

“During summer vacation, 17 additional schools will be completely finished. Then during the All Saints break and during the school year, 11 additional schools. By the end of 2026, 30 schools will be completely finished”, confirms Eric Ciotti.

The list of schools to be air-conditioned this summer is: Château School (work finishing soon, Editor’s note), Paule D’essling, Chalet des roses, Ronchaise, La Capéline, Les Arènes de Cimiez, Mantega, Sourgentine, L’Aire Saint Michel, Saint-Exupéry, Saint-Pierre de Féric preschool, Ventabrun, Simone Veil, École des Orchidées and Jean-Marie Hert.

Equipment with reversible systems

The plan is not limited solely to combating heat waves: the equipment will also be able to produce heat in winter, which would allow the city to “move away from gas or fuel heating.”

A real environmental benefit with 64,000 tons of CO2 saved in the long term according to Eric Ciotti.

The next step in the system: extending the plan to facilities for the elderly. The city’s four nursing homes managed by CCAS are targeted, and the municipality intends to encourage associative and private facilities to follow the same path. “It is no longer acceptable today that we have elderly people housed in nursing homes without air conditioning”, the mayor regrets.

Furthermore, in the presence of Bernard Chaix and Christelle D’Intorni of Nice, Eric Ciotti announced that a bill proposal has been filed in the name of the UDR group at the National Assembly to make air conditioning mandatory in all schools and all nursing homes in France.

Convinced of the merits of the initiative after touring the classrooms, Eric Ciotti concluded by reaffirming that this measure is neither temporary nor superficial. “It is a permanent measure. I truly believe this is the best sustainable solution. This does not exempt us from carrying out other renovation and insulation work, but as quickly as possible, we are proceeding with air conditioning.”