How NL Asset Management achieved >100% ROI by optimizing energy efficiency for global clients

The rise in energy costs has been a wake-up call for the real estate industry, leading to a renewed focus on building energy performance. This is an important shift for NL Asset Management, a trusted partner in Dutch real estate asset management for international property owners.

In a pilot project with Healthy Workers, NL Asset Management managed to save on electricity by up to 16%, achieve gas savings of up to 36.2%, and achieve an ROI > 100% for one building. The perfect moment to chat with Bart Stolker about optimizing energy efficiency and postponing investments to boost asset value and sustainability.

A focus on value-driven asset management

NL Asset Management is co-led by Bart Stolker. The real estate management company oversees a diverse portfolio of office buildings, logistics facilities, and residential blocks, with a specific focus on foreign clients who do not have a local presence.

As part of NL real estate, NL Asset Management was established to meet the need for strategic asset management. Bart works closely with clients to address their specific needs.

Bart explains: “We’re very closely connected to multiple stakeholders and our customers. It’s important to keep tenants happy because that ensures they stay happy in their office spaces. For property owners, increasing commercial value is key, so my focus is on value retention. Fluctuating interest rates have caused depreciation, so our current priority is to minimize that as much as possible.”

Bart and his team are focusing on two important pillars in asset management. On the one hand, it’s increasing tenant satisfaction. By making sure they rent an attractive office space. On the other hand, focusing on value retention of buildings and making sure real estate remains attractive. For the latter, sustainability has become more important over the last few years.

Energy efficiency as a key driver of value

New regulations are an important driver for sustainability developments. Which demands a fresh approach from building owners, asset managers, and even tenants. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive contributes directly to the EU’s energy and climate goals, calling for the active optimization of energy efficiency. 

Bart explains what this shift means for NL Asset Management and its clients: “Previously, the focus was on energy labels for office buildings. But a label is just a snapshot. It doesn’t tell you anything about the actual performance of your building. If tenants turn on the heater, it can result in inefficient energy use.”

The real estate industry suffered from significant energy price increases due to the war in Ukraine, and Bart emphasizes that this requires a new perspective on energy consumption as well.

“Sometimes we see a complete imbalance in energy usage. But if you want to make real estate more sustainable, you need to assess the installations and how they’re performing. This way, you can avoid wasting energy.”

Removing those inefficiencies helps in two ways. Because when energy is used more efficiently, it’s less expensive and it also means other expensive sustainability investments can be postponed.

Data-driven insights and the importance of monitoring systems

To reduce energy consumption, it’s essential to focus on building system installations. In the past, this process was very reactive. Bart and his team had to rely on annual statements from energy suppliers. Add the fact that energy costs and service fees increased, and there’s a high need to improve energy efficiency. 

That’s when Bart connected with Guus Meulendijks from Healthy Workers. Bart explains: “During the start of the war in Ukraine, the pressure grew to find a solution. We started slowly with Healthy Workers and gradually expanded the collaboration.”

With Healthy Workers, NL Asset Management now has real-time insights into the daily performance of its buildings, with the capability to monitor energy usage on an hourly basis. Bart also notes that building users are increasingly requesting energy data, as they need it for their own reporting.

Bart: “Now, with Healthy Workers, we can clearly see the impact of our energy-efficiency measures. They also help us stay ahead of new regulatory requirements. Many of our customers still rely on costly external consultants for energy reporting, but with Healthy Workers, we have a more efficient solution.”

And the results don’t lie. From January to September 2024, electricity consumption decreased by 5.5% and gas by 31% for just one building. Another building in the same period saw electricity savings of 16% and gas reductions of 36.2%. 

The overall ROI is >100%, with tenants benefiting from a 415% ROI. Made possible through continuous monitoring and fine-tuning using the software.

Delaying large investments through energy efficiency

Insights into energy efficiency weren’t the only reason Bart and his team partnered with Healthy Workers. They’re also using the insights to delay expensive sustainability investments, which is crucial for getting all stakeholders on the same page.

But, Bart mentions not all stakeholders have the same focus on sustainability. In some countries it’s not that important yet.

“In Europe, sustainability is almost becoming the standard due to regulations and bank requirements. Outside Europe this isn’t the case. Some customers are more forward-thinking than others. In The Netherlands, we lead the way because both tenants and banks are asking for more sustainable buildings.”

The data-driven insights go beyond just meeting sustainability goals. Healthy Workers has become a strategic tool for NL Asset Management to communicate with customers and increase asset value.

Bart: “We’re looking at how to manage energy better. By investing in Healthy Workers, we can tell our customers they don’t need to invest extra in improving the climate system, tackling the facade, or upgrading the glazing. The investment in software is nothing compared to those hardware investments, like cooling systems, which easily cost €100,000.”

These data-driven insights help NL Asset Management make real estate more sustainable, leading to postponed CapEx investments and compliance with regulatory requirements. With many stakeholders involved, Bart is eager to focus on the future.

A strategic partnership for a more sustainable future

Asset management involves a lot of stakeholders. Alongside NL Asset Management, there are tenants, property managers, their staff, installation companies, and hardware suppliers.

This means implementing Healthy Workers across the full portfolio takes some time. That’s why NL Asset Management set a specific goal.

“By January, all service elements need to be implemented because we see that the promised results from Healthy Workers are being met, which is great.”

Bart is also looking forward to the addition of waste management on the platform. “I’m curious to see what that’s going to look like, because we also report on waste management and want to communicate about it with lawyers too.”

He concludes the interview by highlighting how Healthy Workers makes information more objective and is a valuable strategic partner for achieving customer goals.

“We’re a small company and are always looking for the right partners. Healthy Workers has proven to share our mindset. It helps us look at the data objectively and achieve sustainability goals, ensuring that our children and grandchildren still have a future ahead.”

Thanks for your insights Bart. We definitely share this vision, as we truly believe we can make a big impact on the future by making real estate more sustainable. 

Do you also want to improve sustainability and increase the asset value of your building or portfolio? Request a free 30-minute demo, and we’ll show you how our approach works.