ESG data management: ista launches new solution for the building sector

Essen, 15.12.2022. With the ESG Manager, ista is bringing a product to market that enables users to quickly get into future-focused ESG data management in the building sector. One distinctive feature: ista already has the consumption data that are so time-consuming to collect and this data provides the very basis for transparency and analyses on the CO2 intensity of building stock. The product is a solution that can be quickly implemented. So consumption, emissions and costs can be reliably, quickly and efficiently monitored and analysed at portfolio or building level and, for example, prospectively used for usual reporting standards. The splitting of the CO2 levy in the residential building segment as from 2023 is already part of the solution. 

“High-quality and exhaustive data are core elements of any sustainability strategy. In light of the sustainable transformation and the energy crisis, successful implementation even determines the economic future of entire real estate portfolios,” says Christoph Schierle, the product owner responsible at ista. “While there are already many practical approaches for digital sustainability management, data acquisition, integrity and integration continue to be major challenges for property owners and managers. Thanks to our leading position as a metering service provider, we have solved this problem.”

Sustainability management based on existing consumption data

Users of the ista ESG Manager can directly access existing consumption data and use the software to analyse this data from building to portfolio level. The ista data

record already contains historical heat energy and water consumption figures. These can then be continuously expanded by smart metering data, which also includes primary electricity and gas consumption data. Any data on waste volumes provided by the local waste disposal company can also be added, thus providing a complete picture of the total emissions of a building. With this reliable database, it is not only possible to identify and track optimisation potential, but prospectively also create datasets to meet the usual reporting standards, such as GRESB or ECORE, or individual requirements.

What’s more, there are extensive options for comparison with the ista data pool which is fed from 33 million connected devices worldwide in 13 million units (residential and commercial properties) of the company’s more than 400,000 customers.

The ESG Manager also has automated interfaces (API - Application Programming Interface) and import/export functions, with which users can extend their ESG databases according to their own needs or regulatory requirements. Therefore, an on-site metering infrastructure installed and operated by ista is not an absolute essential for using the ESG Manager. Third-party data and the customer’s internal data can also be conveniently integrated thanks to the openness of the solution.

Legally compliant splitting of CO₂ levy costs from 2023 onwards

From 2023 onwards, the CO2 levy in the residential building sector will be split between tenants and owners. The worse the energy efficiency of a building is, the higher the owner’s share of the costs is. The new CO2 levy will amount to some 1.1 billion euros for Germany as a whole. The split into tenants’ and landlords’ shares means landlords can expect costs of some 576 million euros. The ESG Manager is the first to make the legally compliant split of CO2 costs transparent for landlords.

“The ESG Manager provides a holistic view on changes in consumption and emission levels over time. This context is vital for assessing the impacts from CO2 costs, which should not be evaluated in isolation,” says Schierle. “This is the only way for landlords to really manage CO2 costs from the individual property right up to the portfolio level, i.e. to evaluate and initiate targeted emission-reducing measures.”