Pierre-Louis Guhur

Turning a steel structure into a home is a real challenge for comfort. As a tradesperson, you're staking a lot on insulation, thermal bridge treatment and moisture management — otherwise the shell heats up and cools down at breakneck speed. With a simple method and the right materials, you gain performance without overloading the job.

5 min read

Balancing is the adjustment that shares flow between emitters in proportion to their output. It is done on a clean, bled network, in a stable regime, with thermostatic heads removed, and it is proved by readings. The French CEE scheme puts a figure on it: less than 2°C between the warmest and the coolest dwelling in the building.

5 min read

A well-run commissioning is often the difference between an installation that runs without a hitch and repeated callbacks. Before you leave, take 20 minutes to check the points that really matter: tightness, flow rates, settings, safety devices, and the client hand-over. You secure your performance, your reputation, and you save time across the board on after-sales service.

5 min read

Between air, argon, and krypton, the gas between the two panes can make a real difference to comfort and heat loss. As a tradesperson, it's a simple lever for hitting the right performance without unnecessary extra cost, depending on exposure, window size, and the client's budget. That means offering a clear solution, and avoiding choices made "by feel."

5 min read

On site, this type of joinery often acts as an arbiter between comfort and constraints at the bottom of the opening. Well chosen and well installed, it limits the feeling of a cold wall and parasitic air entry, without complicating your layout. Here's a rundown of the right reflexes to gain thermal performance, without getting lost in the fog.

5 min read

On site, describing surfaces well saves time at every step: measurements, quotes, material choices, and consistency across work packages. Structured data entry helps you avoid gaps between walls, floors, and roofs, and keep a clear record as the project moves forward. You spend less time cross-checking, more time producing accurate work, from the first survey to sign-off.

5 min read

An extensive green roof weighs 60 to 180 daN/m² at maximum water capacity, for a growing layer of 4 to 15 cm, and applies only to roofs pitched at 20% or less. Those three figures from the professional rules, not the planting effect, decide whether the existing structure can take the build-up.

5 min read

On a multi-unit ventilation system, the choice between a single riser and a branched network comes down to three measurable things: the cumulative flow rate the riser has to carry, the space actually available in the service shaft, and how you will balance and measure dwelling by dwelling. The rest is pricing, not architecture.

5 min read

Between PVC, aluminium, wood, or composite, you're not just buying a frame. You're weighing insulation, durability, maintenance, lead times, and job-site margin. With a few simple benchmarks on performance and use cases, you can make a confident choice and sell a clear solution, without pointless back-and-forth once the installation is done.

5 min read

On a ground-source project, the real difference between a groundwater circuit and a buried circuit is what you're allowed to do, and how you prove it. Between procedures, distances, pollution risks and inspections, you save time when everything is framed from the technical site visit onward. Here, we help you decide quickly between the two setups and secure your regulatory file, so you can move forward with confidence and deliver an installation that's clean, compliant, and free of bad surprises.

5 min read

Between what's advertised on the product spec sheet and what actually reaches the rooms, the gap can be surprising, and that's often where your clients have a thousand questions. By breaking heating performance down into 4 complementary levels, you quickly spot where the energy is lost: generation, distribution, emission, control. Enough to cost a gain, explain your choices simply and secure your on-site recommendations.

5 min read

On a job, the right scenario is often the one that holds up on the ground, not the one that ticks every box on paper. With automatic recommendations, you save time sorting through options, comparing impacts, and starting right away with a clear pathway suited to the building and the client's budget. That means more secure proposals, and faster progress without getting bogged down in settings.

5 min read

Useful output comes from a single relation: P (kW) = 1,163 × flow rate (m³/h) × ΔT (K). The whole job is making that measurement usable, which means working at a ΔT large enough that sensor uncertainty does not swallow the result, and placing the measurement at the right point of the circuit.

5 min read

When you identify a house's heat leaks, you immediately know where to act and where your clients will really gain comfort. In a typical house, the roof, walls, windows, floor and ventilation don't carry the same weight. By framing this diagnosis simply, you prioritise your work packages, secure the budget and avoid works that make a lot of noise for little result.

5 min read

Between wood joists, every centimetre counts. When insulation is poorly jointed or interrupted, losses come back quickly and your customers feel it by the first winter. By controlling insulation continuity and airtightness, you deliver a more comfortable floor, with no cold zones and no nasty surprises at inspection.

5 min read

A thermal energy meter never measures heat. It measures a volume and a temperature difference, then multiplies both by the thermal coefficient of water. It is also a legally controlled instrument, built from three sub-assemblies that each carry their own permissible error under EN 1434 and MID annex MI-004. Here is the measuring chain, part by part, and what throws it off.

5 min read

Between occupant comfort, rising bills and callbacks, the question of the right setpoint keeps coming up. As a tradesperson, what you really need is a simple benchmark, but one based on the actual home, its insulation and heating system, not a magic rule. With a few quick checks, you can protect comfort and avoid unnecessary overconsumption.

5 min read

On site, the real challenge is comfort that holds up over time, not just a fast temperature rise. When you work with wall mass, everyday use and sequential use don't call for the same material choices or the same settings. Handled well, this lever helps you smooth out variations, avoid overheating, and deliver a result that's felt from the first few days.

6 min read

A flat roof insulated from outside is priced against two thresholds that are not the same: the French existing-buildings rules ask for R ≥ 3.3 m².K/W, the BAR-EN-105 energy certificate sheet asks for 4.5. And if the works touch at least 50% of the covering, the duty to insulate is triggered on its own. Here are the thresholds, the exemptions, and the detail points to survey before you price.

5 min read

Unified degree days have an official calculation method, and it is not the one most spreadsheets use. It splits into three cases depending on where 18 °C falls between the day's minimum and maximum, and the mid-season case does not reduce to a simple gap from the mean: the simplified formula counts zero where the official method counts a whole degree day. Here are the three formulas, the trap in the reading hours, and what 18 °C actually means.

5 min read

When a client complains about odours, dust or humidity, you need to decide quickly between air treatment and ventilating the home. The two can work together, but they don't address the same causes, or in the same rooms. Asking the right questions at the site visit saves you time, and lets you propose a solution that holds up over the long run.

5 min read

In a 1970s co-ownership, you often juggle facades that need treatment, aging utilities and decisions made by many voices. Your value is framing the project with a clear diagnosis, well-coordinated trades and a phasing that limits surprises and complaints. With the right method, you turn a heavy project into a readable action plan that pays off for the whole building.

5 min read

On a job site, unconverted lofts are often the best lever for quick gains in comfort and a lower heating bill, without transforming the whole house. In a few hours, you can treat a zone that leaks a lot of heat and deliver a result the client sees immediately. With the right materials and clean execution, you secure long-term performance and showcase your expertise right from sign-off.

5 min read

On your projects, pairing one solution for heating with another dedicated to hot water can change the game. You gain in comfort, consistency and efficiency, while limiting failures that shut down the whole home's comfort. The payoff is an installation that's clearer for the client and simpler for you to adjust and repair.

5 min read

When ceiling height changes, your heated volumes change too. And that's often where the sizing of a heating or ventilation system starts to go wrong, both on the quote and on the bills. As a tradesperson, a few simple measurements and a clean volume calculation let you price accurately, compare consumption consistently, and avoid unpleasant surprises at handover.

6 min read

On site, “invisible” thermal bridges can quickly derail a stated performance level. Once you know how to read this coefficient linked to junctions, you can pinpoint where heat is escaping, prioritise fixes, and keep your calculations and quotes reliable. In short, it's a small number that prevents big surprises at testing or handover.

5 min read

On a job site, the material of a load-bearing wall changes everything: winter comfort, moisture management, and the space available for insulation. Concrete, brick, stone, or timber frame, each case calls for a different strategy to avoid thermal bridges and condensation issues. By getting a handle on these points as early as the site visit, you save time, and you secure the result for the client.

5 min read

On site, an accurate diagnosis and correct sizing are what save you from callbacks, repeated adjustments and runaway energy bills. Taking the time to ask the right questions, floor area, insulation, usage patterns, emitters, secures your equipment choice and your commissioning. The result: an installation that keeps its promises, and a reputation that follows.

5 min read

On your projects, the real challenge is moving fast without missing a compliance point that could cost you a client callback or a file to redo. With Argile, you keep a clear method, well-organized evidence and reports ready earlier, even when the day is packed. Less time spent hunting for information, more peace of mind when you have to justify every choice. And you move forward with a solid organization, without weighing down your daily routine.

5 min read

When a client wants to keep their oil boiler but cut the bill, you have a simple card to play: adding a solution that takes over as soon as the weather turns mild, without touching the whole radiator network. In practice, you modernise in stages, secure comfort, and make both the job and the quote easier, with a result that's quick to explain and to sell.

5 min read