Paris Proof

Energy efficient and energy neutral buildings keep their value and deliver higher returns both for investors and for society at large. The users benefit from low energy costs and greater comfort, and Bouwinvest benefits from creating environments in which people want to live, work and enjoy leisure. This, in turn, gives us a greater guarantee of stable income for our clients.

Another important reason to invest in reducing energy usage is the energy transition - a key part of combating climate change.  This is a challenge which involves all of us and which is being made concrete in international agreements, regulations and laws. Bouwinvest wants to play its part in realising these ambitions, and if possible, to go beyond them.

The climate targets reached in Paris in 2015 are key in the Netherlands and we have agreed that by 2050, we will only use renewable sources of energy. But the amount of sustainable energy available is likely to be around one third of present requirements. This means we will have to build greener buildings as well. Paris-Proof real estate is energy efficient and does not use gas.

Bouwinvest works with a Paris-Proof road map, in which we look at what we need to do to realise a Paris-Proof portfolio at both a fund, and at individual building level. The first trajectory is to adapt our current buildings.  We invest in proper wall and roof insulation and use the latest technologies for climate control, heating and lighting. The energy which our buildings do use is generated by sustainable methods. The second trajectory involves influencing the behaviour of our tenants and users, because they too can make a difference, no matter how sustainable a building actually is.