The upcoming revolution: Energy data trends transforming European real estate

A portfolio director reviews her 2030 sustainability roadmap. Monthly energy reports. Annual ESG certifications. Quarterly tenant billing. Everything running as planned.

Here's what she doesn't see coming: None of this will work the way it does today.

Between now and 2030, three fundamental energy data trends will transform how European property owners collect, process, and use energy data. Not incremental improvements—complete paradigm changes in what's possible, what's required, and what competitive advantage looks like.

"Most organisations think they're already doing energy data well because they have smart meters and dashboards," explains Kees van Alphen, Managing Director at Hello Energy. "But what's coming makes current capabilities look like using a calculator when everyone else has moved to spreadsheets."

The next five years represent a genuine revolution in energy data. Organisations that don't prepare now will find themselves unable to compete, unable to comply, and unable to deliver what tenants increasingly demand.

Why this is revolution, not evolution

European property owners have made progress with energy data. Smart meters are being deployed. Dashboards provide visibility. ESG reporting frameworks are established.

But this solid ground isn't as solid as it appears.

"Most European countries still have an enormous journey ahead," Van Alphen observes. "For electricity, things are progressing reasonably well. But when it comes to gas or heat—that's truly uncharted territory. Most properties are still working with infrastructure that simply wasn't designed for this level of monitoring."

The gap between current capabilities and what's coming isn't about doing better. It's about fundamentally different capabilities becoming baseline requirements. These trends affect every real estate portfolio: monthly data when regulations demand 15-minute intervals, static dashboards when operations require real-time response, single-source reporting when certification demands verified, auditable data chains.

"What drove data collection initially was certification, legal requirements, and energy savings," Van Alphen notes. "But grid congestion has been added to that. Billing accuracy in certain markets. The complexity continues increasing whilst most organisations' capabilities remain static."

Three energy data trends reshaping the landscape

The transformation happens in distinct phases. Understanding these trends—and where your organisation sits within them—determines whether you'll lead or follow.

Wave 1: Smart infrastructure (2020-2024)

The foundation wave focuses on getting measurement infrastructure in place: replacing manual meter reading with automated data collection, moving from monthly readings to frequent intervals, extending monitoring beyond electricity to all energy types.

"For electricity, placing submeters is quite manageable," Van Alphen explains. "But gas requires rerouting pipelines—that's expensive. And heat systems? Sometimes even more costly, because those pipes need insulation."

Most European real estate organisations are somewhere in this wave. Some markets have progressed further than others. But comprehensive smart infrastructure across all energy types remains work in progress.

Wave 2: Connected intelligence (2024-2027)

Having data is one thing. Having data that remains reliable, continuous, and trustworthy? That's the second wave.

"Getting data in is already quite a challenge," Van Alphen notes. "But then ensuring continuity—that's where it gets complex. We've encountered situations where sports facilities showed dramatic drops in water consumption. The meters were working fine. But a second meter had been installed somewhere, and nobody updated the monitoring system."

This wave introduces capabilities most organisations underestimate: monitoring data continuity, validating reliability, detecting anomalies, managing assurance requirements.

"You can't just fill in missing data with AI predictions," Van Alphen explains. "For some analytical purposes that's fine. But for compliance and billing? You're creating fake data. You must be able to prove your data is measured, not estimated."

Connected intelligence means platforms that verify data remains trustworthy. When meters show impossible readings, systems flag it. When consumption patterns deviate from comparable properties, alerts trigger.

"We've refined our anomaly detection from identifying a million anomalies down to about 1,500," Van Alphen notes. "That's manageable. But it required substantial development to understand what actually matters and what's just noise."

Wave 3: Autonomous optimisation (2027-2030)

The third wave transforms data from reporting tool to operational intelligence. AI-driven systems analyse master meter readings and identify consumption patterns without extensive submetering. Predictive models flag issues before they impact operations.

"For water meters with AI capability, you can already identify specific consumption patterns," Van Alphen explains. "Ten minutes of peak usage—that's showering. Continuous low-level consumption—that's a leak. For electricity it's more complex, but progress is happening."

When you have an entire portfolio of supermarkets with comparable cooling systems, AI can analyse master meter data and determine where power is being consumed throughout the day.

"That's valuable because it means far less investment in individual submeters whilst still enabling targeted optimisation," Van Alphen notes. "But it requires large data sets to create accurate profiles."

"The intelligence to genuinely realise savings from data—that's still in its infancy," Van Alphen observes. "But the trajectory is clear. By 2030, the organisations with this capability will operate fundamentally differently from those still working with monthly reports."

Why capability matters more than technology

Understanding what's coming is one thing. Building the organisational capability to use it? That's the actual challenge.

Here's what most organisations miss: the data revolution isn't solved by installing meters or purchasing software. It's about developing capabilities that take time to build and expertise that doesn't exist in standard job descriptions.

"To get from current state to required state, you need the infrastructure in order, you need to be able to read out the meters, and you need to monitor them continuously," Van Alphen explains. "Those are all different functions that most companies simply don't have in-house."

The software exists. The technology works. But implementation isn't plug-and-play.

"This software is all still relatively new," Van Alphen acknowledges. "It's not like it's included in your standard building management package. These are capabilities that require expertise, integration work, and ongoing monitoring."

Consider the journey from recognising a million anomalies to identifying the 1,500 that actually matter. That's not a software setting. That's organisational learning—understanding your portfolio well enough to distinguish signal from noise.

This isn't something you solve with a purchase order. It's organisational capability that takes time to build—which is precisely why starting now matters.

The early mover advantage

Real estate owners face two distinct paths over the next five years. Understanding these energy data trends early provides competitive advantage. The difference between routes isn't just timing—it's competitive position.

Route A: Early movers (now)

• Build data infrastructure whilst regulatory requirements remain flexible

• Learn from implementation challenges with time to refine approaches

• Develop operational insights whilst competitors are still deploying meters

• Establish expertise that becomes scarce as demand increases

Route B: Reactive adoption (2027-2030)

• Implement under regulatory pressure with tight compliance deadlines

• Compete for limited expertise as entire markets deploy simultaneously

• Accept whatever solutions are available rather than optimising for your portfolio

• Start learning when early movers already have years of operational advantage

"We expect this will become a much larger issue," Van Alphen observes. "With rising energy prices, awareness of energy costs has increased enormously. Organisations that position themselves now—building data infrastructure, establishing monitoring capabilities, developing the expertise to use this data effectively—those will have genuine competitive advantage when these capabilities become baseline requirements."

By 2030, quality energy data won't be a competitive differentiator. It will be baseline capability. The advantage goes to organisations that build this capability now, whilst they have time to learn, refine, and optimise.

The revolution is already underway

The energy data revolution isn't coming—it's here. Smart meters are being deployed. Connected systems are emerging. AI-driven analysis is beginning to show what's possible.

The question isn't whether these changes will happen. The question is whether your real estate organisation will shape them or be shaped by them.

"The complexity is real," Van Alphen concludes. "But that's precisely why early movers gain advantage. By the time these capabilities become standard requirements, they'll have years of experience using data others are just starting to collect."

The revolution is underway. Your move.

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