How can we move away from fossil fuels in the energy supply for real estate? This topical issue was the subject of a guest lecture given by the Real Estate Management Study Programs at the beginning of November 2025. The focus was on the question: How can a climate-friendly energy infrastructure be achieved in new and existing buildings – and how will this affect property values?
Herbert Hetzel, founder and managing partner of BCE beyond carbon energy, presented to an audience of around 40 interested parties the already successfully implemented transformation of a Real Estate sector that is consistently moving away from fossil fuels and thus becoming largely emission-free.
Technology and economic efficiency as success factors
His presentation focused primarily on the following questions:
- How does an emission-free energy supply work from a technical perspective?
- Can this achieve market-driven energy prices?
- Can a sustainable supply increase property values?
As an energy supplier, Beyond Carbon Energy handles the engineering, design, construction, and operation of renewable energy plants, offering owners and developers a comprehensive solution. A key aspect is that investment costs should remain comparable, while tenants and owners benefit from independence and constant security of supply. “Close integration of technology and financing is crucial for the successful completion of these comprehensive projects,” says Hetzel, summarizing the most important factors.
Innovative approaches for emission-free buildings
Herbert Hetzel was supported by Senior Design Engineer Andreas Rippl, who contributed technical details from the flagship project “Viertel Zwei,” among others. In this Viennese city district, approximately 85% of the heating and cooling requirements are already covered largely emission-free by local resources, by intelligently combining local resources such as geothermal energy, groundwater, and waste heat. In addition, the more than 100-year-old listed office buildings Tribüne 2 & 3 are heated and cooled on a low-temperature basis. Despite the lack of insulation, contemporary comfort levels can be achieved.
Added value through decarbonization
The type of heating and cooling supply is becoming a key value factor for real estate: in addition to reducing operating costs, property owners can prepare their properties for future legal requirements and increase their market value in the long term. Another goal is to decrease energy costs from volatile developments in the energy market and increase security of supply using local resources.
Austria as a country of existing property
A particular challenge is that Austria has around 2.5 million properties that will need to be renovated in the coming years. With a current renovation rate of 0.8-1.5%, the industry will have to focus intensively on energy-efficient modernization in the coming decades. Similarly, the EU Buildings Directive requires emission-free heating systems from 2040 and emission-free buildings overall from 2050.
In urban areas, around half of emissions are attributable to heating and cooling in buildings, and several times that amount to the transport sector: around 35 to 40 percent of urban greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the supply of heating and cooling energy – a key lever for sustainable urban development.
Opportunities and obligations for the future
During the concluding discussion, potential opportunities and challenges were examined from a practical perspective. The lively contributions from participants showed that the sustainable transformation of heating and cooling supply represents both an opportunity and an obligation from both a technical and an economic point of view.
>> More information about the Study Programs Real Estate Management