The "Retrofit at Scale" overview argues that waiting for perfect data is high-risk, as property owners already possess the necessary information scattered across existing documents like leases and valuations. To avoid the "Audit Trap" of premature physical inspections, the strategy reverses the traditional order by beginning with a desk-based digital twin powered by artificial intelligence and network effects, the latter of which plays a specific role in gathering the required data. This approach converts imperfect inputs into "decision-grade" clarity regarding stranded asset hotspots, 2030/2040 targets, and capital expenditure magnitudes, enabling boards, lenders, and housing providers to manage uncertainty and unlock capital for immediate action.

A Must-Listen Episode: Navigating the Path to Net Zero

With Andrea Palmer, CEO of CRREM, and Marcel Staub, CEO of Lookthrough. Hosted by Olaf Reinen.

Tune in to the Look Through Lens podcast for a compelling conversation with two key leaders shaping the future of the real estate industry: Andrea Palmer, the recently appointed CEO of CRREM, and Marcel Staub, CEO of Lookthrough.

Discover how their organizations are helping real estate professionals master the challenges of decarbonization and climate risk.

In this insightful episode, you will learn:

• The Power of the CRREM Pathway: Understand why CRREM is at the forefront of helping the industry decarbonize. CRREM's mission is to drive transparency around climate risk and alignment by providing a crucial, forward-looking, science-based trajectory for buildings to improve energy efficiency and stay within a specific carbon budget. CRREM is promoted as the de facto standard for defining the necessary decarbonization curve.

• The Role of Implementation: Hear Marcel Staub explain how Lookthrough, a proud CRREM partner, acts as "where the rubber hits the road". Lookthrough uses the scientific CRREM benchmark to help real estate owners navigate complex portfolios and find cost-effective solutions, ensuring they maintain yield while driving energy efficiency and carbon neutrality.

• The Terminology Shift: Get the exclusive details on why CRREM recently changed the high-profile term "stranding year" to the "CRREM misalignment year". Andrea Palmer explains that this decision was driven by the reality that assets are not typically written down to zero value and to highlight the crucial adaptability and retrofitting potential inherent in real estate investments.

• Decarbonization Challenges and Opportunities: The guests tackle the fundamental challenge: decarbonization must be investable and drive returns. They discuss the difficulty of short asset hold periods conflicting with long payback periods. They also explore exciting opportunities for innovation, including:

◦ Optimizing energy use based on actual occupancy data rather than just theoretical consumption.

◦ Matching and optimizing building operation times based on the cleanliness of the electrical grid.

• Essential Advice for Investors: For real estate professionals starting their decarbonization journey, the leaders advise: start simply. Focus on the core principle of materiality to distinguish what matters, and be smart by prioritizing quick wins - changes that are not too expensive, have a relatively short payback, but generate impact.

• Why There's Optimism: Discover why the speakers are optimistic about the future, noting the impressive approaches of banks and private lenders and the fact that capital markets are increasingly recognizing the intrinsic value of cleaner buildings, speeding up the transition by making efficiency projects "a no-brainer".

Listen now to gain a better understanding of the synergy between Lookthrough and CRREM and how this partnership provides the basis for effective climate risk management and profitable energy transition in real estate.

For more, visit CRREM and LookthroughFull transcript is available here.

Real estate’s decarbonization playbook has leaned heavily on LEDs, BMS tweaks, tariffs, and insulation. But these “quick wins” create only the impression of momentum if they delay the big jobs: deep retrofits, electrification, and envelope upgrades. Every year without them means higher future costs, missed OPEX savings, and growing pressure from regulation and capital markets. Delay isn’t neutral — it compounds risk.

The real challenge isn’t setting targets, it’s sequencing pathways.
Net zero pledges are common, but too few portfolios have mapped credible capex timelines. That’s where the cliff edge emerges: a stack of expensive projects hitting at once, without coordination of budgets, lease events, and disruption.

The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and intensifying lender scrutiny are tightening the window. Meanwhile, the evidence is clear: efficient assets deliver green premiums in rent and liquidity, while laggards suffer widening brown discounts.

Owners need portfolio-first plans, not piecemeal projects.
Lookthrough helps by embedding CRREM’s science-based pathways directly into scenario planning, aligning retrofit windows with leasing and lifecycle events, and providing the investment-grade outputs that ICs, lenders, and LPs expect.

Instead of stranded assets and valuation discounts, owners gain executable roadmaps that manage cost, compliance, and value uplift.

👉 Book a demo today and find out what your CRREM-aligned pathway looks like with your own data.