The Rexel Foundation

FOR A BETTER ENERGY FUTURE

4 THE FOUNDATION’S KEY FIGURES 6 OUR BELIEFS 8 OUR PROGRAMS 10 OUR ACTIONS 12 OUR KEY PROJECTS 14 OUR GOVERNANCE

Summary

"The Rexel Foundation aspires to be a true catalyst for progress."

"Today, energy is transforming the world thanks to unmatched innovations in technology. And yet, not everyone is benefitting from this progress: 1.3 billion people worldwide do not have access to electricity and 1OO million Europeans are living in a situation of fuel poverty. With these issues in mind, the Rexel Group created its Foundation from a desire to go one step further in its commitment to a better energy future.

In partnership with our clients, our suppliers, our employees, and with society at large, we have set our mission to promote public interest initiatives that improve access to energy efficiency for all. The goal of these projects is large-scale adoption and the creation of major benefits, both social and environmental, for the ecosystems in which we operate.

I invite you to discover our mission, our core principles and our initiatives, in the hope that this will inspire you to join us."

Rudy Provoost,Chairman of the Rexel Foundation for a better energy future and Chairman and CEO for the Rexel Group.

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Fighting fuel poverty: a global challenge*

1.3 billion people still do not have access to electricity.

3 types of programs:- Community projects;- Grants;- Knowledge.

100 million Europeans are now living in fuel poverty, meaning that they spend over 10% of their income on paying energy bills**.

2.7 billion people have no choice but to rely on dangerous materials to heat their homes and cook their meals.

48 billion dollars must be invested every year in order to meet the UN goal of achieving universal access to modern energy services by 2030.

THE FOUNDATION’S KEY FIGURES Improving access to energy efficiency for all

Asia Pacific

26%

21%16%

16%

16%

5%

Latin America

North America

Europe

World

France

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Community projects

Grants

Knowledge

19 projects have been implemented or are underway.

Actions taken in 13 countries.

Geographic distribution of projects Distribution of projects by program type

Assessment based on

4 core principles:

- socially innovative;- environmentally friendly

and providing energy savings;- collaborative and partnership driven;- repeatable and scalable.

* Source: International Energy Agency, Energy for all - Financing access for the poor, 2011.** Source: Article published in the January 21, 2013 issue of Le Monde, “Une coopération franco-allemande contre la précarité énergétique” (France and Germany work together to fight fuel poverty).

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OUR BELIEFSA better energy future for all

Faced with the world’s rising population and the increasing scarcity of natural energy resources, energy management has become a primary concern – all the more so as the effects of climate change are worsening.

Energy efficiency offers a credible solution to the current three fundamental challenges. Economically speaking, energy efficiency enables less dependence on fossil fuels; environmentally speaking, it meets the need to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, thanks primarily to renewable energies; and socially speaking, it improves access to energy for all and thus helps fight fuel poverty.

Consequently, the Rexel Foundation strongly believes in the importance of taking immediate action, together with all the stakeholders in the energy sector, through a variety of programs intended to drive progress toward a better energy future for all.

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Throughout the world, the Rexel Foundation supports three kinds of programs: community-based public interest projects; grants programs; and studies designed to improve knowledge of energy efficiency issues.

Community projects

The Rexel Foundation establishes partnerships with NGOs, social entrepreneurs and foundations to support community projects that involve increasing awareness of energy efficiency, providing education and training, renovating low-income housing or accompanying experts in the sector. All of these programs benefit disadvantaged populations in OECD member countries and in the so-called “developing” countries.

OUR PROGRAMS

Lætitia Bertholet,In charge of the Foundations in the areas of social and solidarity-based economy, Fondation de France.

Shadi Goodarzi,post-doctorate, HEC.

Grants

The Rexel Foundation supports research programs and educational projects by awarding grants to students and researchers in their early career. These academic projects are an opportunity to better understand energy consumption patterns and to develop solutions to modify behaviors, as well as to develop technical solutions: energy storage systems, microgeneration, innovative equipment in the areas of home automation, regulation, etc.

Knowledge

The Rexel Foundation wishes to contribute to the creation of a shared knowledge base on energy efficiency. To achieve this, it supports studies whose goal is to improve understanding of the issues at stake, such as improved access to energy or funding solutions for end-users. Through the development of platforms, programs and events, results and knowledge will be shared with all stakeholders.

Émilie Étienne,Microsol Study Coordinator. Jean-Jérôme Calvier,

Winner of the IMPACT Energy Efficiency

Program 2013, Soleni.Robert Harmsen, Assistant Professor Energy & Resources, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.

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France BAIL POUR TOUS, REXEL FRANCE > Help people from

disadvantaged backgrounds to manage their energy consumption and bills.

ACTION TANK > Measure the social benefits

of renovating run-down joint ownership housing.

PLANÈTE D’ENTREPRENEURS > Create an impact evaluation

tool for energy efficiency community projects.

ESTP PARIS > Study on ventilation system

control strategies, with the aim of reducing energy consumption by incorporating occupant behavior.

HEC PARIS > Study the possible channels

for disseminating renewable energy systems.

North AmericaNSCC (NOVA SCOTIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE), NEDCO > Support research to optimize energy

distribution.

THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO - DENVER > Develop a mobile application to optimize

building energy consumption according to the thermal comfort of users.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY > Support a study on the effects

of energy-related environmental public policy on the housing market.

Latin AmericaELECTRICIANS WITHOUT BORDERS, BIZLINE, IPG, REXEL PERU > Provide electricity to remote villages

using photovoltaic panels.

THE SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC FOUNDATION, CEDUC > Update the technical equipment

in a training laboratory for students in the energy management sector.

MICROSOL > Study carbon credit mechanisms to help

implement energy efficiency projects in the Andean region.

Community projects

Knowledge

Grants

ChinaMAVERLINN, REXEL CHINA > Provide

an autonomous solar power station for a Chinese school located in a remote area.

EuropeTHE REXEL GROUP AND ITS PARTNERS LEGRAND, FONDATION D’ENTREPRISE DELOITTE AND PLANÈTE D’ENTREPRENEURS: > Assist and support social

entrepreneurs in the energy efficiency sector.

ENERGISE SUSSEX COAST, REXEL UK > Provide advice and eco-efficient

electrical supply kits to households living in fuel poverty.

OSRAM > Study the issue of lighting and

the benefits of LED technology in the context of fuel poverty.

UTRECHT UNIVERSITY > Study the obstacles to energy efficient

retrofitting.

OUR ACTIONSThrough the Rexel Foundation, the Group and its subsidiaries support numerous projects around the world with the combined efforts of all stakeholders.

InternationalADVICE FOR CHANGE > Study the local social entrepreneurship

ecosystem in the energy efficiency sector in Latin America and Asia Pacific.

ELECTRICIANS WITHOUT BORDERS, HÄGER > Study the best practices for leading energy

access community projects.

OPINION WAY > Support a study on the perception of energy

efficiency among consumers, electricians and contractors.

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OUR KEY PROJECTS

PROGRAM: KNOWLEDGEENERGY ACCESS AND CARBON FINANCE PROGRAMThe Rexel Foundation and Microsol joined forces to conduct a feasibility study on the development of a carbon credit exchange system related to energy efficiency in the Andean region (Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia). The study revealed a true need for electricity in remote rural communities. Renewable energy sources remain untapped despite available technological solutions

that could be implemented on a large scale. Furthermore, carbon mechanisms can be used as a means of both ensuring the long-term sustainability of projects and improving their social and environmental quality, but only if carbon mechanisms are given greater value.

To learn more: http://bit.ly/carbonsolidarity

PROGRAM: COMMUNITY PROJECTSEDUCATION AND SOLAR ENERGYIn China, the Rexel Foundation took part in a comprehensive solar power station  /  Green  IT Classroom initiative to provide students at San Xing Elementary School, located in the province of Hebei, with access to new technologies and better information. Thanks to a solid

partnership with Faurecia and the social enterprise Maverlinn, the school now has an IT classroom and a source of free energy, which guarantees the installation’s long-term sustainability, greater control of costs related to energy consumption, and, above all, an independent energy supply.

PROGRAM: GRANTS OBSTACLES TO ENERGY EFFICIENT RETROFITTINGLed by the researcher Robert Harmsen from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, this project aims to identify, chart and understand the obstacles to the implementation of effective energy efficiency strategies in existing constructions.

PROGRAM: COMMUNITY PROJECTSA JOINT SKILLS PLATFORM IN SUPPORT OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSDesigned to support social entrepreneurs, the joint skills platform aims to connect the numerous players involved in energy progress. The goal: Enable the emergence, consolidation and large-scale proliferation of social enterprises in order to fight fuel poverty. The platform thus brings together multiple sponsors (companies, associations, etc.), who provide material resources (through donations) or financial aid (under certain conditions) to member social enterprises according to their needs, their skills and their expertise (through volunteer involvement).

To learn more: http://bit.ly/socialentrepreneursptf

FOCUS“Les 7 Vents” has received the Rexel Foundation’s support in implementing an ambitious Franco-British renovation project: the RENO-3.0 project.The goal: Design a demonstration building in which the most effective new energy solutions will be accessible. “Les 7 Vents”, a member of the social entrepreneur joint skills platform, rallies organizations and individuals, members and partners, around a common goal: create a framework conducive to the development of sustainable systems, including everything from microeconomics to heating systems.

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OUR GOVERNANCE

The Pre-selection Committee

This committee considers every project in detail before submitting it to the Executive Committee. Projects are selected according to their concordance with the four core principles of the Foundation. They must therefore be: environmentally friendly and provide energy savings; socially innovative; repeatable and scalable; and collaborative and partnership driven. To these are added other, more traditional criteria, such as the area targeted by the project, how the impact of the project will be measured, etc.

The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is responsible for deciding on the strategy of the Foundation, voting on the budget and approving the accounts and loans. It assesses and selects the projects submitted for consideration, determines the funds allocated to each project and carries out an annual evaluation of partners. It convenes at least once a year and is composed of eight members, including three independent experts. Because the Foundation believes that sharing mutual aspirations and values is key to establishing a sustainable, innovative partnership, it pays close attention to the quality of the projects presented.

In order to ensure optimal governance and respect of its core principles and ethics, the Rexel Foundation, under the aegis of the Fondation de France, is managed by an Executive Committee, as well as by a project Pre-selection Committee.

THE REXEL GROUP

Rexel, a global leader in the professional distribution of products and services for the energy world, addresses three main markets: industrial, commercial and residential. The Group supports customers around the globe, wherever they are, to help them create value and run their businesses better. With a network of some 2,300 branches in 38 countries and over 30,000 employees, Rexel’s sales reached €13 billion in 2013.

After creating a Community Involvement Charter, the Group decided to go one step further, with the creation of the Rexel Foundation in 2013 under the aegis of the Fondation de France.

For more information, visit www.rexel.com

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If you would like to get involved in the promotion of energy efficiency by leading a community project, want to know more about the programs or are looking for further information about the Rexel Foundation:

• website: www.rexelfoundation.com

• contacts: rexelfoundation@rexel.com - Pascale Giet, Vice-Chairman of the Rexel Foundation - Xavier Galliot, General Secretary of the Rexel Foundation

Publication director: Pascale Giet. Publication managers: Marion Berger, Julien Fernandez. Editorial concepts and content: Caroline Chaumin/Tildé Paris. Graphic design: Mary de Wailly. Realization: . Special thanks to: Lætitia Bertholet, Shadi Goodarzi, Émilie Étienne, Robert Harmsen, Jean-Jérôme Calvier and our other partners.

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