Specialisation and support for property management from the ESG team
The increasing importance of sustainability, both in environmental and social terms, presents new challenges for property management. In particular, the operation of buildings with photovoltaic systems and the exponential expansion of e-mobility require expertise and new processes. To meet these requirements, we have set up a specialised sustainability department that not only takes the pressure off the operational teams, but also significantly increases knowledge transfer and efficiency.
Livit’s sustainability team, from left to right: Ramona, Sustainability Consultant, Roland, Team Leader, and Sarah, Real Estate Sustainability Specialist
Standardised processes for sustainable projects
The increasing importance of sustainability places new demands on property management. In 2021, it was therefore high time that we set up a centre of excellence for sustainability, which is now staffed by three people. We thus ensure that sustainability issues are handled consistently, competently and efficiently.
PV systems – efficient construction and operation
The growth in the field of photovoltaic systems is not merely a boom: under the Swiss Energy Act (EnA), these systems are now mandatory for buildings above a certain size. In the past, every photovoltaic project posed an individual challenge for property management and real estate accounting, with differing billing models and a lack of instructions leading to inefficient processes. Today, our Sustainability department provides overarching support and regular training to ensure clear and uniform workflows. Standardised processes and templates for tenant communication simplify the work and prevent us from constantly reinventing the wheel and wasting valuable resources as a result. This structured approach enables us to implement photovoltaic projects faster, more efficiently and more sustainably, and to expertly manage buildings with photovoltaic systems.
E-mobility – intelligent solutions for a growing infrastructure
As the use of e-charging stations increases, an overhauled, professional solution for billing the charging costs has become indispensable. The method initially used – billing via ancillary costs or individual billing systems – became infeasible for the accounting department due to the hundreds of properties it handled. Thanks to the Sustainability Office, processes have been simplified and collaboration with Swisscharge has been expanded, so that billing is now uniform, centralised and requires significantly less work. In addition, the Sustainability Office reduces the workload on property managers because it coordinates collaboration across the board – from installation to operation and billing – and trains property managers, our installation partners and service providers on our process and the specifications.
This ‘Livit standard’ in e-mobility will increase both quality and efficiency, resulting in charging infrastructure that is future-proof and cost-effective to build and operate.
Precise data collection for sustainable decisions and awards
The precise collection of energy and consumption data plays a key role for property owners, who are increasingly guided by sustainability standards such as GRESB. Gathering this data used to be a manual and therefore time-consuming task for our property managers. The Sustainability Office has professionalised this process and automated it wherever possible. The new consumption data reports show the data in granular form. This means that property owners’ requirements, no matter how complex, can be mapped. For example, the power used to charge electric cars and the energy consumed in vacant apartments are shown separately in the building report. In addition, the delivery of energy and water bills to property owners or third-party companies commissioned by them has been centralised and automated.
All in all, these improvements have led to a sharp decrease in the number of individual enquiries from property owners to the property management team, as well as in the number of queries about the data supplied, as we provide our customers with accurate and reliable data. Property owners primarily need this data for their sustainability reports, ratings and building labels.
Skills development and support for employees
Another key step forward by our sustainability team is the ongoing training of our employees. The targeted training programs help them to understand the processes and tasks for their specific area, to build up specialist knowledge in the field of sustainability and to keep up to date with the latest developments.
The specialisation offered by the Sustainability Office not only lessens the workload on our operational teams and optimises our internal processes: it also offers our customers genuine added value. Thanks to standardised processes, precise data collection and specialised contact persons, we guarantee future-oriented, sustainable, high-quality property management. Property owners can rely on us to implement their sustainability goals effectively and professionally.