Strategic Focus: Building Decarbonization And Energy Management Will Decouple And Transform Over 30 Years

Published 12 October 2023 by Harry Wilson & Claire Stephens &
Carbon Offsets Decarbonization Energy Management Energy Transition Net Zero & Climate Risk Real Estate & Built Environment Smart Buildings Strategic Focus

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Executive Summary

Energy management has unlocked building decarbonization; a reduction in consumption, thanks to better management of demand, has allowed for the reduction of GHG emissions. However, as the electrification of the global economy gathers momentum and electrical grids become decarbonized, energy management will shift focus in the next 30 years to managing decentralized energy sources and ensuring supply resilience. For occupiers and building owners, a new reality in operational and capital expenditure will be realized, with greater emphasis on upfront equipment purchasing, rather than utility bill expenditure. Vendors will undoubtedly capitalize on this shift, with a rise in fully managed energy services for customers – instead of simply providing equipment and maintenance, firms will start to deliver energy production equipment and distribution management as well. This report focuses on the UK’s 2050 decarbonization pathway; real estate executives and vendors alike should leverage its predictions to prepare for the upcoming changes to the energy management landscape.

Table of contents

Decarbonization and energy management will decouple over 30 years
Energy management has primarily been driven by a cost reduction agenda
Today, decarbonization is firmly in the energy management driving seat
Grid-level efforts will sever the carbon-energy connection
For facilities managers, the decarbonization focus on demand and efficiency will decline
Powerful megatrends will drive fundamental change over the next 30 years
Population growth and urbanization will boost energy demand
Decarbonized electricity forces energy management to reckon with new technologies
Implications cut across skills, processes, technologies and financing
With a low-carbon grid, resource management will trump carbon management
Embodied carbon will take centre-stage from Scope 1 and 2 carbon
Energy management will be completely overhauled

Table of figures

Figure 1. Building energy demand over the next 30 years
Figure 2. Energy consumed by fuel source in buildings 2010-2030
Figure 3. Megatrends over the next 30 years
Figure 4. Conceptual pathway of whole life carbon

About the authors

Harry Wilson

Senior Analyst
Harry is a Senior Analyst in the Verdantix Real Estate & Built Environment practice. Harry's research and advisory expertise centres on energy management; he leads Verdantix coverage of building energy management software, building electrification, and microgrids and energy resilience technologies. Prior to joining Verdantix, Harry worked as a Mechanical Engineer at engineering consultancy Arup, where he specialized in the design of net zero new-build and retrofit facilities across the commercial, science and technology sectors. He holds an M.Eng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham. 

Claire Stephens

Research Director, Smart Buildings
Claire Stephens is Research Director of the Smart Buildings team. With 18 years of experience in the sector, Claire is recognized as an expert in industries that make up the built environment, in particular, corporate and commercial real estate, and workplace and sustainability technologies. At Verdantix, Claire will be digging into building technology for building owners, occupiers and investors, focusing on how to support them in reaching their ESG objectives. Prior to her arrival at Verdantix, Claire launched Asia’s first corporate real estate, green building and building technology publications. She has also delivered full lifecycle real estate consultancy services covering a broad range of asset types in industries including financial services, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, technology, consumer goods, media, retail and hospitality.

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