Drivers for change: strenghtening the role of valuation professionals

in market transition

Renovalue Final Report

August 2016

Reno Value is a 2-year project funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe

Programme of the European Union.
The sole responsibility for the content of this Report lies with the authors.
It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither
the EASME nor the European Commission is responsible for any use that
may be made of the information contained therein.

About RenoValue
RenoValue is a 2-year project funded by
the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme
of the European Union. The project
developed a training toolkit for property
valuation professionals on how to factor
energy efficiency, renewable energy
and other sustainability aspects into
valuation practices, and consequently
help valuation professionals better
understand the relationship between
building performance and property value
and encourage them to advise their clients
accordingly.
The project started in February 2014
and ended in June 2016. It was run
by a consortium of companies and
organisations, which together cover a
broad range of real estate and construction
stakeholders.
The RenoValue consortium consisted of:
RICS, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology,
CBRE, the Polytechnic of Milan, the Polish
National Energy Conservation Agency,
Troostwijk Real Estate, Skanska and
Business Solutions Europa. In addition, the
partnership was supported by the Greek
Institute for Nearly Zero Energy Building.
In addition the research project was
assisted by a high level European Valuation
Steering Group including representatives
from the following organizations: Caisse
des Dpts, Cushman & Wakefield, Hermes
Real Estate, European Group of Valuers
Associations (TEGoVA), United Nations
Environment Programmes Suistanable
Buildings and Climate Initiative (UNEPSBCI), World Green Building Council.

Table of Contents

01 RenoValue against the EU policy background
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02 The RenoValue project rationale
2.1
Valuation and property lifecycle


2.2 The role of the valuation professional

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08

03

10

RenoValue objectives and outcomes

04 RenoValue approach and methodology

4.1
Research and processes

4.2 Roundtable workshops

4.3 The RenoValue survey

4.4 The EU Valuation Steering Group

4.5 Content development and pilot phase
05 Contacts

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01

RenoValue against
the EU policy background

The subject of promoting energy efficiency

(EE), the installation of renewable energy
sources (RES) and the consideration of
other sustainability aspects in buildings has
become increasingly important for the EU
over the past decade.
For many years, the EU has been at the
forefront of this issue by setting long
term plans to guide climate and energy
policies that remain some of the most
ambitious in the world.
The built environment plays a crucial role
in reaching the long term EU energy and
climate goals. Achieving a low carbon
economy by 2050 will require a contribution
by the building sector of approximately
40/50% cost efficient reduction of GHG by
2030 and approximately 90% by 20501.
Meeting these targets will require 80% of the
existing building stock to be refurbished: the
equivalent of one building every minute for
the next 40 years.
A vital aspect of the business case for
investing in energy efficiency and renewable
energy sources and for advocating nearly
Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) and sustainable
buildings in general is the buildings
potentially increased future value, which is
usually determined through a valuation of
the property.

Unfortunately, among property owners

there still is a prevailing lack of confidence
regarding a reasonable return on capital.
For this to change, the business case for widescale investment into nearly Zero Energy
Buildings and more sustainable buildings in
new construction and refurbishment must
be made, explained, disseminated and
incorporated into real estate market decision
making and daily valuation practice.
Developing,
strengthening
and
communicating the link between energy
performance and the value of buildings has
an important part to play in the EUs energy
efficiency and renewable energy strategy,
offering a significant opportunity to meet
the EUs 2020 and 2030 targets for energy
efficiency and renewable energy.
This in return will create local jobs and
economic growth in the European Union. It will
also help European companies to keep their
leadership in energy efficiency, renewable
energy technologies and the development
of new, sustainable construction materials
and thus help to drive future innovation in
the region.

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02.1 Valuation and the Property

Life Cycle

02

The RenoValue
project rationale

The use of property valuations is

an essential aspect of the property
lifecycle. This is particularly valid at
the point of transaction, e.g. when
buildings are being sold or when
investment decisions are being
taken; for example when a major
refurbishment may need to be
considered.
Accurate valuations are vital for a
transparent property market and a
stable economy. They form the basis
of portfolio performance analysis,
financing and investment decisions,
transactions, and land development
advice as well as dispute resolution
and taxation. Valuations are carried
out at almost every stage of the
property life cycle.
There is an emerging body of
empirical evidence from an
increasing number of markets
that sustainable buildings not only
perform better in terms of energy
efficiency but also financially:
amongst other issues, they
command higher rents or resale
prices and/or they hold their value
better over time.

Figure 1: Property valuations

and financial decision-making
along the Property Life Cycle

land
redevelopment/
refurbishment

Property Valuation
Financial Decision

Property Valuation
Financial Decision

operation/
maintenance

land status
change

land acquisition

Property Valuation
Financial Decision

Property valuations and

financial decisions along
the property life cycle

use

Property Valuation
Financial Decision

Property Valuation

planning/design

sale/tenancy
(occupancy)

Property Valuation
Financial Decision

approvals

construction
Financial Decision

Figure 1 clearly illustrates why incorporating energy

efficiency, renewable energy and other sustainability
aspects into valuation practices is essential to raise
awareness on the value of investing in energy
efficiency, renewable energy and other sustainability
features amongst prospective buyers, sellers, lenders
and investors. Being able to demonstrate the business
case to these built environment stakeholders is a

prerequisite to accelerating the market transition

towards Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) in
both new buildings and existing stock. The life cycle
diagram mainly refers to the commercial market
segment but, in principle, also applies for residential.
However, as a rule, for owner-occupied residential
dwellings there are fewer instances where a formal
valuation would be required and necessary.

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02.2 The role of the

valuation professional
There are at least 70.0003
affiliated valuation professionals
(and many more non-affiliated)
in Europe. As part of their daily
practice they comment on the
financial impact of asset specific
and wider market factors.

Valuations are carried out

in almost any phase of
the building life cycle.
Valuation professionals
are the independent axis
around which property
information flows.
Valuation professionals
act as information
managers in often highly
intransparent property
markets.
Arguments used in
negotiations between the
parties in a (commercial)
transaction process are
usually based on advice
given by professionals
acting on both sides.

While the role of valuation

professionals is to reflect the
market - in other words they
do not make the markettheir advice and the nature
and scope of their services
do influence property market
outcomes. If they were able
to offer their clients evidencebased advice and transparent
qualitative judgement on
sustainability-related issues
in addition to their customary
reporting services during
the transaction phase, this
would have a significant
market impact. Therefore,
their expertise plays a crucial
role in boosting the market
for energy efficiency and
renewable energy in buildings.
Unfortunately, the valuation
community is not yet fully
engaged around the issues of
energy efficiency, renewable
energy and other sustainability
related aspects. This lack
of engagement formed the
basis of the RenoValue
project which started with the
following assumptions:

Commitment of valuation
professionals
Awareness and understanding
among valuation professionals
of their own role with regard
to considering the aforesaid
issues in valuations is still
relatively low in most markets.

Data and information

management sources
Valuation professionals are not
in a position to consider energy
efficient, renewable energy and
sustainable building features
as part of their standard
valuation practice without
existing market evidence.
This creates a vicious circle
(see Figure 2) whereby clients
are not adequately advised
about the value and longterm benefits of energy
efficiency, renewable energy
and sustainability solutions:
therefore investment and
demand for these remain
stagnant.

Current market barriers to large-scale uptake of energy efficiency (EE)

and renewable energy (RE) in buildings in the EU

owners and tenants

We would like to own and/or live and work
in energy efficient buildings but we are
not sure whether this makes economic sense
and there is a lack of professional expertise

built environment professionals*

lenders, investors and insurers

We would provide preferential conditions
for energy efficient buildings
but as yet there is little demand
and too much uncertainty
regarding the real economic impact

We would advise our clients on the

economic benefits of EE and RE installations
and carry out subsequent measures
but our clients to not usually ask for it
and lenders and investors do not give
preferential rates
valuation professionals
We have not got the skills to assess
EE measures and only reflect the market.
We cannot reflect the benefits of EE and RE
installations without evidence of market
willingness to pay for it

Figure 2: Current market barriers to large-scale

uptake of nearly Zero Energy Buildings in the EU
Source: Hartenberger, U. & Lorenz, D., 2013

*Designers, constructors, developers, valuation professionals, etc.

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03

RenoValue
objectives
and
outcomes

Whilst current valuation techniques have the

capacity to reflect energy efficiency, renewable
energy and sustainability aspects, at present there
is still a lack of dedicated training for valuation
professionals when it comes to understanding
valuation users requirements and the possible
value impact of existing and emerging measures
and technologies. Due to the often rather technical
nature of energy efficiency measures, renewable energy
and sustainable installations, arguably many valuation
professionals may not even have the required knowledge
to assess them. This type of knowledge usually falls more
in the domain of building specialists such as architects,
building controllers, building surveyors and facility
managers.
The RenoValue objective was to analyse and assess
needs concerning the integration of sustainability
related aspects into property valuation practices and
design dedicated training material for practising valuation
professionals.
This would create a virtuous circle that will ultimately
help the transition to a significantly improved energy
performance of the building stock in the EU as illustrated
in Figure 3.

RenoValue project outcome

owners and tenants

(valuation users)
We purchase and rent energy
efficient buildigns and invest in EE and RE
because this reduces operational costs
and increases occupant well-being,
comfort and, ultimately, asset value

built environment
professionals*
lenders, investors, insurers
(valuation users)
We invest in, finance and insure
EE and RE projects because
that is what occupiers want
and therefore there are fewer
associated financial risks

Increase of nearly Zero Energy

Buildings in EU

We design, build and retrofit

energy efficient buildings because
of market demand and
because lenders, investors and
insurers provide
preferential conditions
valuation professionals

professional bodies
We spread the knowledge about
the economic benefits of
EE and RE installations because
this is critical for capacity
building and market transformation

We recognise the economic benefits

of EE and RE in buildings
and reflect this in advice given
to clients and other
built environment professionals

supply
demand
*Designers, constructors, developers, valuation
professionals, etc

Source: Hartenberger, U., Lorenz, D., 2013

Figure 3: RenoValue project objectives and outcome

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04

RenoValue
approach and methodology

04.1 Research and processes

The ultimate goal of the RenoValue project was to develop
a training toolkit for property valuation professionals on how
to factor energy efficiency, renewable energy and other
sustainability considerations into daily valuation practice.
Figure 2 illustrates what is widely
considered to be the current situation:
the circle of blame where investors,
tenants, and developers refuse to
take responsibility for the promotion
of EU targets. It is anticipated that
the training will help turn the same
scenario into a positive, virtuous circle
in time.
Before starting the work on the actual
training toolkit, the project assessed:

the current levels of awareness and

knowledge with regard to energy
efficiency and renewable energy
installations amongst valuation
professionals across a sample of
countries within Europe;
the market barriers currently
hindering the consideration of
energy and wider sustainability
performance data by the valuation
community;
the sources currently available to
valuation professionals and their
training needs;

the local market sentiment with regard

to energy efficient and/or sustainable
buildings potentially commanding
higher sales or rental premiums.

The assessment was carried out through

seven national roundtable workshops
and the RenoValue survey. The findings
from both the roundtables and the
survey informed the content of the
training material and were included in
the Renovalue Market Insight Report,
published in November 2015.
It is important to note that the research
carried out in the framework of this
project represents a snapshot of the
current market situation in a number of
EU member states at a specific point in
time. Of course it did not allow for detailed
conclusions to be drawn for other
member states. It does however allow
drawing some overarching conclusions
beyond the particular context of the
countries involved.

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04.2 Roundtable workshops

In order to assess valuation professionals training needs and
valuation users requirements regarding the integration of EE
and RE features and other sustainability aspects into daily
valuation practices, the RenoValue project organised a series of
national valuation roundtable workshops in seven EU countries:
Belgium (BE), Germany (DE), Italy (IT), the Netherlands (NL),
Poland (PL), Sweden (SE) and the United Kingdom (UK).
To be able to get a comprehensive and representative overview,
each roundtable involved approximately 20-35 participants
representing valuation professionals and real estate firms
offering valuation services, mortgage lenders and banks,
insurers, private, public and institutional investors and landlords
and other representatives from the built environment value
chain including designers, planners, architects, civil engineers,
construction economists and EE and RE products suppliers
and solutions providers.
Summaries of the individual national roundtables for each of
the seven countries were published in the Renovalue Market
Insight Report.

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04.3 The RenoValue survey

The roundtable workshops were guided by the results of a survey circulated
to roundtable participants prior to the workshops.
The RenoValue survey had the following objectives:

To understand the extent

to which each participant
was engaged in valuation
activity and the type of
property valuations they
undertake;

To assess the accessibility

of property operational
cost data and the extent
of information normally
provided by clients
instructing valuation work;

To identify the primary

sources of information
used when carrying out
valuations;

To assess the quality of

information on property
transaction data, whether
held by a public or private
source, and the quality
of any publicly available
information;

To understand whether
valuation professionals
currently receive
dedicated training
regarding green labels or
certification schemes.;

To investigate the
existence of public
registers for Energy
Performance Certificates
and, if any, their
accessibility, and whether
the consideration of
other green labels or
certification schemes
for buildings is standard
practice.

04.4 The EU Valuation Steering Group

A dedicated EU Valuation
Steering Group (EUVSG) was
established by the RenoValue
consortium to provide
strategic input to assist with
the research project.
The EUVSG comprises senior
members from the finance,
construction and real estate
services side of the sector.
The members of this group
were selected on the basis
of their expertise with regard
to sustainability of the built
environment in their day-to-day
roles. They cover all markets
across the EU.

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04.5 Content development and pilot phase

Based on the findings of the valuation roundtables, the second part of the RenoValue project
was dedicated to the development of the RenoValue training material and to the implementation
of the pilot phase aimed to test the training material on valuation professionals across the seven
project target countries. In addition to the seven project target countries, the piloting programme
was conducted also in Greece, Cyprus and France. The training sessions were attended by 196
participants. 93% of participants considered the training helpful for their daily work and conversation
with clients. 97% of the same participants would recommend the material to a colleague.
The training material developed consists of:

104 slides designed as

support for professional
trainers, valuers
associations and other
stakeholders that
organize face to face
training sessions and
CPD events. The slides
are downloadable from
the RenoValue website in
eight languages.

An eLearning course
(6 modules in total plus
self-test) for valuation
professionals and other
stakeholders accessible
via the RICS Online
Learning Academy in
eight languages.

Supplementary material
consisting of an overview
of EPCs in the core project
target countries as well as
a list of suggested further
reading.

The training material developed is available in Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish,
and Swedish.

Slides for professional trainers & Supplementary Material

eLearning Course

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Contacts

For more information about Renovalue, please contact

Luigi Petito
Project Coordinator`
luigi@bs-europa.eu
www.renovalue.eu
@RenovalueEU

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renovalue.eu
@RenoValueEU