Tackle the climate crisis by tackling the data crisis!
Ingemar Hunold • Aug 26, 2021
When we support our clients in their GRESB reporting season, it becomes clear time and again that data availability and quality are often a challenge. Despite the increased use of software solutions, the situation has not changed much.
It is usually extremely difficult for the owners to get data from their tenants and often, meters are read irregularly or there is no one responsible for collecting the data. Going the other way and asking the network operator is just as time-consuming, can become really expensive and is not possible across all countries. Smart meters, that would make the access to the data easier, are rarely available and data only accessible for the landlord-controlled areas of a building. On top of that, where data is collected, it cannot be adequately checked, and plausibility verified.
Thus, data coverage still remains a source of frustration throughout the GRESB submittal season and the development of a proper data collection process from bottom up offers vast improvement potential.
COVID has disrupted existing processes
This year we have seen COVID complicate the situation to some extent. Due to restricted accessibility, specialist staff were rarely on site. Therefore turn-around times for queries were impacted and calling tenants and property managers became way more necessary than in previous years.
Of course, COVID also had a considerable influence on the level of consumption, especially in office buildings and retail. A drop in end energy and especially water (30% sometimes even up to 50% compared to previous year) could be observed for almost all asset classes.
The reduction could not always be attributed fully to a lower utilisation of the buildings. Could it also be due to technical circumstances? Or was it both? Added to this was the fact that different operation modes of the assets made it challenging to identify the real reasons for data outliers.
What drives data-quality?
So, it is pretty clear, that getting high-quality data and high data availability is really important.
Here are some tips which helped our clients to improve their data quality.
- Get everyone involved early, or you will be dealing with coverage instead of quality up to the last day of submittal.
- Make sure property and asset managers know their role early on; they are an important piece of the puzzle.
- Software or no software? A software solution can contribute to better data quality, but just having/using a software does not make your data accurate. Especially when data collection is done manually and then transferred into the software by a third party. This can end up being a bottleneck rather than a game-changer for data quality. Solutions like automated data collection through smart-meters, connections to energy supplier portals or building management systems and/or digital invoice readings exist according to software developers but is not always applied in the field.
- It always comes down to the people providing the raw data (property & asset managers) and how much they can be challenged on data quality. Instead of measuring their performance based on benchmarks and historical data, they should get a feedback right when they deliver the data. Advanced software can become a game-changer here. Our experience shows: the more feedback they get right at the point of data entry, the better the overall data quality.
The end of GRESB season is simply the start of the next
Even though we can now take a breather for a moment until the next GRESB season, we should already be starting to think about the next season:
- To continuously ensure high data quality, the topic should not only be highly relevant within the GRESB season. On the contrary, we should make data management an ongoing year-around activity.
- Working together with the experts from asset and portfolio management and the staff on site is really important. Now is the time to get everyone engaged and provide instant feedback on data-inputs. That helps property and asset managers to develop their own feeling whether or not their data entry is in a reasonable range.
- The amount of data is increasing. Therefore, big scaling of automated data feeds into software solutions will be even more necessary in the upcoming years. Sure, this will not necessarily solve today’s problems but helps to improve data quality as a mid-term target.
- Applying this process will ultimately lead to more efficient buildings over time because poor performing assets are identified earlier than they are today. Thus, improvement potentials can be budgeted and implemented earlier.
- Good data management goes beyond the question of coverage. Availability is the first step, which could actually start a continual improvement process. Discussing and analysing the given data should then be the second. Those findings will then stimulate earlier actions for poor performing assets and eventually lead to reductions in energy use. That is what makes tenants happy, reduces CO2-emissions, tackles the climate crisis, and then saves the planet.
Sounds perfectly easy, doesn’t it?
Need help to implement a data management process in your company? We are happy to help. Just give us a call on +49 (0) 30 403 658 50 or send an email to berlin@es-info.com.
We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Cover Image credits: Sophie Monsarrat | Rewilding Europe
While many companies are already taking comprehensive measures to minimise the effects of climate change as far as possible, it is also true that climate change is inevitable in the near and distant future. This has already become noticeable in large parts of Germany with an increase in extreme weather events such as the flood disaster in the Ahr valley in 2021, numerous hot summers in recent years, or the constant rain and flooding at the beginning of this year. Companies should therefore address the risks that could arise from climate change and the associated increase in extreme weather events, for example at their different sites, as early as possible.
Registration is now open for the GBCI Circle event for 2024. You can register here. EnviroSustain is proud to once again be a sponsor of this event which will be held in Athens, Greece. The event will run from the 17-19 April and the three days will be packed with a welcome reception, sustainable building tours, experiences, and learning sessions. After such a great experience last year in Barcelona , we can’t wait to travel with the team again. As we avoid air travel as part of our ESG Policy, the ES team will be travelling to Athens by land and sea over the course of two days! This involves the night train from Munich to Roma (or alternatively to Bologna), train to Bari, then the ferry overnight from Bari to Patras and to finish the bus to Athens. We look forward to sharing our journey with you on social media. GBCI Circle is designed to provide networking opportunities and education sessions for Europe's LEED consultants, property owners and managers, building experts and consultants and all of those interested in sustainability within real estate. The 2024 program focuses on the future of Healthy Human Habitat Venues include The Piraeus Tower (pursuing LEED Platinum and WELL certification), The Lighthouse (LEED Platinum), The Ellinikon (pursuing LEED, WELL and SITES), The National Gallery of Art (2 x LEED Silver certifications).
With the start of a new year comes the beginning of a new GRESB reporting period. EnviroSustain has been supporting clients with GRESB submissions for almost a decade now and we are pleased to see participation growing. The GRESB portal will open on 1st April but now is the time to begin prepping your team and collecting data. As ESG reporting gains more momentum in the mainstream, changes are needed to keep up with current developments. The Real Estate and Infrastructure Standards Committee works to gather feedback and make recommendations on changes to the GRESB Foundation Board.
The annual Global Risk Report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) presents a comprehensive analysis of current global challenges. In its report published in January of this year, the WEF warns of a "foreseen duo of dangerous crises", referring to the duality of climate and conflict-related challenges. Respondents from academia, business, government, the international community and civil society see climate change-related risks in particular as a key global challenge in the long term. According to the survey, the four most highly rated risks over the next 10 years are: extreme weather events, critical changes to earth systems, loss of biodiversity and the collapse of ecosystems. In addition, current crises and conflicts such as inflation, the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Palestine make many respondents pessimistic about the coming years. If implemented consistently, ESG guidelines can help to reduce the negative impact of companies on the environment and thus mitigate climate change-related risks by creating a sustainable business environment. In 2024, numerous new EU regulations will come into force to make ESG reporting more transparent and standardised. The aim is to oblige companies to be more transparent and accountable with regard to their environmental impact.
We are all increasingly aware of the pressing need for environmental sustainability and as biodiversity disclosures gain momentum , the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) serves as a blueprint for integrating nature-related disclosures into decision making and existing mandatory reporting requirements. TNFD, like the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), operates as a voluntary disclosure framework. However, we hope that some governments and regulatory bodies will begin to incorporate TNFD recommendations into mandatory reporting frameworks. For organisations, voluntary adoption of TNFD is a proactive step towards staying ahead of potential regulatory changes and investor demands. By embracing TNFD early, companies can gain a competitive advantage and demonstrate their commitment to environmental responsibility.
With all the good biodiversity gives us and our environment, you would hope that it is sufficiently protected and supported by legislation. Not only in Europe, but also worldwide. As part of the European Green deal approved in 2020, the Nature Restoration Law is the first of its kind to cover the entire continent in Europe. Sadly, 80% of Europe’s natural habitats are in poor condition, but the proposed Nature Restoration Law will help to turn the tide when it comes to the protection and rejuvenation of European biodiversity by two 2030 and 2050 milestones.
‘Biodiversity’ is known as ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources including, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; including diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems’. According to this report by the World Economic Forum, Biodiversity equals around $44 trillion in economic value (more than 50% of global GDP), making biodiversity one of Earth’s most valuable assets. Despite the massive amount of value biodiversity provides us, our global loss of biodiversity over the past 50 years has been significant, and 80% of that global biodiversity loss is caused by the built environment, agriculture, and energy/extractives. Sadly, a byproduct of advancing our own environments is that we’re destroying the Earth’s natural ones at the same time. This is because of many factors, and IPBES notes five main drivers: Habitat loss Over-exploitation of natural resources Spread of invasive species Climate change Pollution
Amongst all the policies and jargon out there, it’s easy to forget why it all matters and what the overarching goal is, so let’s take a moment to think about it. The pressure on Earth’s resources is becoming unbearable. Every year, Earth Overshoot Day (the annual date that marks the point when humanity uses more biological resources than the Earth can regenerate within a given year) creeps earlier and earlier. Extreme heat events are becoming more common with forest fires on the rise; species are dying due to habitat loss and food scarcity; our seas are rising and warming leading to devastating floods and enforced migration. All of this and we’re still projected to exceed 1.5 degrees of global warming, despite the 2015 Paris Agreement and subsequent UN promises. In short, we need action, and we need it yesterday.
In February 2023, EnviroSustain announced a long-term partnership with Rewilding Europe. This collaboration will see a portion of the EnviroSustain turnover supporting rewilding initiatives for the next ten years, as well as pro bono advice on rewilding-related buildings in the network- such as new offices and rewilding centres. In June, Dr. Birgit Memminger-Rieve, MD at EnviroSustain, and Ingemar Hunold, Partner at EnviroSustain, met with the Rewilding Oder Delta team to provide support and advice for their newly established centre.
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