Sustainability is a key issue in the property sector. Many property owners and companies have set themselves ambitious sustainability goals. Most of them - such as the market-leading property company, Swiss Prime Site Immobilien AG - are guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Agreement and the Swiss government's Energy Strategy 2050.
The reduction of CO2 emissions from the operation of the property portfolio is often a particular focus of the objectives. On behalf of Swiss Prime Site Immobilien, Wincasa has defined a so-called "CO2 reduction pathway" with corresponding measures to determine how the operational CO2 emissions of the property company's approximately 190 properties, most of which are used for commercial purposes, can be significantly reduced. The measures are now being planned for each property and continuously reviewed with regard to target achievement using forecasts. The pragmatic approach chosen is that periodic investments must be made in each property due to its age. If attention is paid to a consistent reduction in CO2 emissions during the necessary renovation measures, considerable savings can be achieved: On the one hand by reducing energy requirements, and on the other by switching to energy from renewable sources. Specialist experts such as Wincasa's sustainability team help property owners not only in an advisory capacity, but also as client representatives, which also ensures that the targets set are consistently implemented.
Achieving the Paris 2-degree target despite gas heating
In order to plan CO2 reduction effectively, a comprehensive data basis is required. Wincasa therefore analyses the long-term energy consumption data of property portfolios. This data can be used to calculate CO2 emissions in accordance with the relevant standards and to determine the levers for potential reductions. Savings of several percent are already possible by optimising operations. However, the greatest savings potential lies in reducing the thermal energy requirement by improving the insulation quality of the building. With a comprehensive refurbishment of the entire envelope and an associated improvement in insulation, heating energy consumption can be reduced to such an extent that the 2-degree target of the Paris Climate Agreement can be achieved with gas heating, which also has a positive effect on energy costs as a side effect.
With a complete switch to renewable energy sources, CO2 emissions can theoretically be reduced to almost zero even without structural measures. While this is now possible almost everywhere for electricity by switching to an electricity product from renewable energies, replacing the heating system in particular with a low-CO2 system can only be realised with a great deal of effort and not without forward-looking planning. It is important to clarify at an early stage what possible alternatives exist. In the case of Swiss Prime Site Immobilien, experienced planning offices examined which economically and technically feasible alternatives exist for all oil and gas heating systems to be replaced in the short to medium term.
District heating networks or self-sufficient energy generation
Connecting to a district heating supply is usually the most economical option. With regard to the implementation of measures to achieve climate targets, energy suppliers are currently expanding district heating networks throughout Switzerland. Depending on the location, this often involves a very high proportion of renewable energy sources, such as wood and geothermal power plants or lake, river and groundwater utilisation. District heating is suitable for heating, hot water and cooling. The energy is transferred by means of a heat exchanger. This saves space and can usually be installed in existing boiler rooms. Compared to fossil-fuelled heating systems, these systems are also low-maintenance.
In Swiss Prime Site Immobilien's current property portfolio, around half of the approximately 100 heating systems that still use fossil fuels are located in areas where a district heating network is planned or is already being realised. These opportunities should be utilised and the changeover driven forward wherever possible, even if this means accepting that a fossil-fuelled heating system will have to be replaced before the end of its remaining service life.
For the remaining properties, it makes sense to realise energy generation on site. There are various options for this, such as wood chip heating, air/water heat pumps or geothermal probe heating - although not all variants can be realised everywhere. In addition, the higher the desired heating output, the higher the installation costs. In this case, it is advisable to optimise the insulation of the building envelope in advance and reduce the heating output to a minimum.
In summary, it can be said that the targets set with regard to CO2 emissions can often be realised by paying close attention to the structural possibilities for reducing CO2 emissions when planning the necessary renovation measures for the next 30 years. This is often possible within the already planned maintenance costs if you analyse and plan early enough. It can also be assumed that the additional investment will be amortised over the life cycle of the property. Especially if further government regulations and additional CO2 taxes come into force. A key success factor here is the early integration of CO2 targets into the property strategy and carefully coordinated multi-year planning. Emission-free replacement buildings, the expansion of the portfolio through innovative in-house developments and the consistent use of new technologies offer additional potential for achieving targets across the entire portfolio.
CO2 equivalent per m2 of rental space.
Source: Integrierter Geschäftsbericht 2019, CO2-Absenkpfad für das Immobilienportfolio der SPSI
Sarah Thury | Projektleiterin Strategy & Development CFM | Wincasa AG, 5.01.2021