Digital innovation is increasingly becoming a key driver for the decarbonisation of the existing building stock. Faced with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, which transform energy efficiency from a simple economic advantage into a factor that directly affects the value of a property, technology can make the difference.

The real complexity lies in managing already-constructed buildings, often comprising a wide variety of systems. It is in this scenario that next-generation digital platforms can accelerate decarbonisation pathways. The approach, based on open and flexible software solutions, enables integration with pre-existing systems, avoiding invasive interventions or complex revamping.

Energy efficiency is no longer just a matter of savings: compliance with sustainability regulations has a direct impact on the value of properties. Optimising resources thus becomes a new way to increase value, making buildings more competitive and attractive on the market.

Decarbonisation is achieved above all through improving the efficiency of the existing building stock. Even though new technologies, such as heat pumps, play an important role, the real challenge is to act on already-installed systems, which are often complex and non-uniform. This is the basis of the strategy of purely SaaS hardware-agnostic companies.

The goal is to provide powerful yet simple-to-implement tools, capable of interfacing with existing technologies to monitor, control, and improve consumption. This is an effective response to the need to reduce energy costs, but also an opportunity to comply with new regulations and strengthen the sustainability of the building sector.

The path toward efficiency unfolds in two phases. The first is reporting, with tools such as energy management systems (EMSs) that collect and analyse data from smart meters, BMSs, or APIs, providing a complete overview of consumption. Dashboards and reports enable energy managers and facility managers to define benchmarks and make informed decisions. EMSs are generally compliant with ISO 50001 standards and support ISO 14001 procedures, also proving useful for ESG reporting.

The second phase is active optimisation, supported by SCADA platforms, which make it possible to collect operational data from systems and apply remote control logic. The strength of some of these solutions is indeed their ability to integrate with any system, thanks to a wide range of drivers and protocols, allowing complete management that also includes external data, such as weather conditions or space usage patterns. All this is offered with a user-friendly interface and an online graphic editor for simple and customisable management.

An important aspect to consider to ensure the success of these investments is deep knowledge of the systems and how they work. It is not just about collecting data or applying algorithms, but also about knowing how to interpret the significant parameters for each building, acting in a targeted way to improve performance without compromising comfort. Energy efficiency, in fact, must never come at the expense of occupants’ well-being: only solid applied expertise allows for an effective balance between these two needs.

The commercial building sector (offices, retail, hospitality) is extremely fragmented and diverse. To reach such a heterogeneous market, a key element is the presence of a network of qualified partners—such as system integrators or service companies—capable of adopting digital technologies and translating them into high-value-added solutions for end customers.

Digital innovation represents a concrete response to regulatory compliance and, at the same time, a strategic lever to transform existing buildings into more sustainable and competitive assets. An approach that integrates technology, expertise, and collaboration to accompany the real estate sector in the ecological transition.