Two pressures, one direction
EPBD and CSRD are two different regulations that act on a building owner from two sides. EPBD concerns the energy performance and renovation of buildings. CSRD, together with ESRS, concerns sustainability reporting by companies.
The common denominator is one: the importance of reliable, measurable building data is growing. Declarations no longer suffice — what counts are numbers you can document.
EPBD: renovation and energy performance
The revised EPBD, published in 2024, strengthens the push to improve energy efficiency and renovate the existing stock. The European Commission points out that improving building performance is meant to lower bills and support decarbonisation of the sector.
For the owner of an older office this means a clear direction: modernising existing assets stops being a side option and becomes the main path to preserving value.
CSRD/ESRS: data, not declarations
CSRD and the corresponding ESRS standards create detailed reporting requirements. For real estate this means a growing weight on reliable environmental, energy and operational data — especially in corporate groups, funds and larger organisations.
A tenant that is part of such a group increasingly asks about the data of the building they lease in. Missing data becomes a real commercial risk, not just a formal one.
What it means for an older office
The problem is no longer the „old building” itself. The problem is the asset's lack of readiness to operate in a regime of data and investor expectations. An asset without reliable data is harder to finance, lease and sell.
That shifts the weight from „what to replace” to „how to document the building's performance” — which starts with metering and integration, not with a large investment.
How to prepare without panic
Preparation doesn't mean doing everything at once. It starts with a readiness assessment: where the data gaps are, what the energy performance is, how far off the reporting requirements are. Only on that basis do you build a phased plan.
Such a plan ties the regulatory requirement to a business outcome — because actions that improve data and efficiency raise asset value anyway, regardless of regulation.
EPBD and CSRD don't call for panic, but for readiness. Assessing that readiness — technical and data — is the first, cheapest step where the ESG Tech Audit begins.