Buildings are the single largest energy consumer in Europe. The real estate industry is one of the most challenging markets to decarbonize, with buildings making up 40% of EU energy consumption and 36% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings have long lifetimes, and their construction and operation require significant quantities of hard-to-abate materials such as cement. Meanwhile, retrofits for pre-existing structures are complex and expensive.
Regulators are increasing pressure on the industry, with a 2021 EU directive requiring all new buildings to be zero-emission by 2030, and instating rigorous Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) labeling requirements. Left with few options, developers and asset managers rely on costly sustainability consultants; a neither fast nor scalable solution.
Optiml provides a far more efficient, automated alternative, guiding developers and asset managers to take smart financial and sustainability decisions. Optiml’s software analyzes any number of portfolio assets across the most relevant ESG and regulatory data points – in minutes. This provides a tangible rating that real estate developers and asset managers can understand. At the same time, it continuously analyses changing regulatory and market data to always give end-users the most relevant recommendations.
We’re convinced Optiml’s software will play a major role in revolutionizing one of the hardest-to-abate sectors. Without detailed insights into the immense energy consumption of buildings, there can’t be sensible investment recommendations for decarbonized real estate assets. With increasing regulatory pressure and investor demand, asset managers will have no choice but to ensure their portfolios have secure, in-compliance assets for decades to come. We believe that Optiml’s founding team of highly-skilled scientists and engineers bring the intelligence, industry knowledge, and personal drive necessary to bring this critical technology to the mass market.
Climate-related transitional risks will impact real estate. So far, they are not adequately included in current business decisions. Only by having better information available will we be able to make more informed decisions. Optiml is an enabling technology that will provide asset managers with better data and information, including enhanced and transparent disclosures, to assess climate-related financial risks and their potential effects on their assets. Using Optiml can save 10-70% in CO2e emissions, depending on the asset (30% on average), leading to a potential cumulative GHG emissions savings of ~50 Mt by 2030.