Digital energy management in existing buildings

The Smart Living industry association has submitted a statement on the Building Energy Act to Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy. In this statement, the association refers to the climate protection contribution of digitisation in buildings.

For this statement, Borderstep has calculated figures on the possible CO2 reduction through building automation systems in existing residential buildings in Germany.

“With an annual renovation rate of 300,000 apartments, around 2.3 million tons of CO2 can be avoided in 2030,” explains Dr. Severin Beucker, an expert on smart energy at Borderstep.

The building stock in Germany is responsible for a significant proportion of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Digital energy management can help to significantly reduce this share and promotes the use of renewable energies. It is both economically and ecologically an important alternative for the refurbishment of existing buildings.

The use of smart building technology and intelligent control of energy use in buildings can thus make a substantial contribution to climate protection. This should be supported by targeted incentives for the use of intelligent systems and digital solutions in buildings, according to the statement.

The figures come from the Borderstep working paper “Reduction of CO2 emissions in existing buildings through digital energy management“. The publication (only in german) can be downloaded free of charge.

Your Contact

Dr. Severin Beucker
  • Co-founder and CEO
  • Senior Researcher

Borderstep News

Data Centers in China: Borderstep on Location Factors 01.10.2026

Why are data centers in western China underutilized despite major investment? Table.Briefings spoke with Dr. Ralph Hintemann about location factors, latency, and bottlenecks in components, cooling infrastructure, and skilled personnel. More

EU adopts data centre label – Borderstep involved in its development 23.09.2026

The European Commission has adopted the sustainability label for data centres. Simon Hinterholzer and the Borderstep Institute played a key role in its development. From 2027, the label is intended to make the energy and resource consumption of European data centres more transparent and easier to compare. More

Borderstep at U.S. Expert Exchange on Data Centers 07.09.2026

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has invited Dr. Severin Beucker to join an expert exchange in Northern Virginia. Borderstep contributes its expertise on data center energy demand and grid integration, waste heat utilization and regional planning. More