Real estate
Article 3 of 16 · Buildings and real estateParis Proof real estate: a guide for businesses
Direct answer
Paris Proof is the approach of the Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC) to make buildings comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. For each building type there is a maximum for actual energy consumption, expressed in kilowatt-hours per square metre per year. An office, for example, is Paris Proof at no more than 70 kWh per m2, as read from the energy meter.
- Clear definition
- Data-driven assessment
- Risks and opportunities visible
- Practical next steps
Paris Proof real estate: scattered information versus Energy Intelligence
Many building owners steer on the energy label. Yet a property with a good label can use far more energy in practice than calculated, for example due to long opening hours or poorly tuned installations. That gap is known as the performance gap. For the climate, only what actually passes through the meter counts. That is why DGBC developed a benchmark based on metered consumption. Owners, investors and tenants of offices, shops, schools and healthcare real estate in the Netherlands increasingly encounter it in sustainability reporting and portfolio strategies.
- The limits differ per building type and are derived from the average consumption per type: a school, shop or healthcare building each has its own limit.
- The bar follows from a DGBC calculation: by 2050 the Netherlands can generate roughly one third of its energy consumption sustainably, so existing buildings must save two thirds on average.
- With the Actual Energy intensity indicator (WEii) you determine where your building stands: the metered annual consumption divided by the usable floor area.
Insight
Traditional approach
Information is scattered across portals, documents, invoices or separate spreadsheets.
Modern approach
Data, context and interpretation are brought together into a clear decision picture.
Decision-making
Traditional approach
Choices are made based on averages, assumptions or occasional analyses.
Modern approach
Scenarios, KPIs and current measurement data make the trade-off more concrete and repeatable.
Follow-up
Traditional approach
Actions often stay non-committal or disappear into separate reports.
Modern approach
Follow-up actions, monitoring and reporting are linked to the same energy data.
Where do the Paris Proof limits come from?
The starting point is the energy system of 2050. Under the Paris Climate Agreement it must run entirely on sustainable sources. Studies by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) and Royal HaskoningDHV show that the Netherlands can then sustainably generate about one third of its current energy consumption. There is no more room than that for solar, wind and other sources. The conclusion is a simple calculation: buildings must save two thirds of their energy on average, or generate sustainable energy themselves. DGBC translated that goal into an upper limit per building type in kilowatt-hours per square metre per year, based on research into average consumption per building type. A school may therefore use a different amount than an office or a shop. It always concerns metered consumption: what passes through the meter counts.
- By 2050 all energy must come from sustainable sources; the potential covers about one third of current consumption.
- Existing buildings must therefore save two thirds on average or generate sustainably themselves.
- DGBC translated this into a maximum actual consumption per building type, based among others on an ECN study of energy benchmarks.
- The limit concerns metered consumption, not a theoretical calculation.
How do you measure whether your building is Paris Proof?
The Actual Energy intensity indicator (WEii) is the benchmark DGBC uses for this. The calculation is simple: the building's metered annual consumption divided by its usable floor area. The result falls into a class, rising up to Paris Proof and energy neutral. On weii.nl you will find the upper limit of each class per building function, plus a calculation tool. For existing buildings DGBC aims for Paris Proof by 2040 at the latest, with the intermediate classes Efficient and Very Efficient as portfolio-level milestones. Many owners record that route in a roadmap per building or portfolio. The WEii EnergyCompass combines the WEii score with the energy label. That shows whether you should mainly invest in the building itself, or in its use and tuning.
- WEii is the metered annual consumption divided by the usable floor area, in kWh per m2 per year.
- Classes with upper limits apply per building type; weii.nl offers a calculation tool.
- For existing buildings DGBC targets Paris Proof by 2040 at the latest, via intermediate classes at portfolio level.
- The WEii EnergyCompass combines label and metered consumption and points to the most effective renovation route.
What are the limits and points of attention?
Paris Proof is a voluntary market standard from DGBC, not a law. Legal requirements in the Netherlands, such as the energy label obligation for offices, exist independently and are generally less strict. A growing group of market parties has signed the Paris Proof Commitment, committing their real estate to this ambition. Keep a few points in mind. Actual consumption also depends on the user: opening hours, occupancy and equipment all count. Owner and tenant therefore need to cooperate and share metering data. Reliable meter data per building is a precondition; without data there is no WEii score. And the bar is high: for much existing real estate, Paris Proof requires a coherent package of measures over several years, not a single intervention.
- Voluntary: Paris Proof is a market ambition, not a legal obligation.
- Metered consumption also depends on tenant behaviour; cooperation between owner and tenant is needed.
- Without reliable meter data per building you cannot determine a WEii score.
- The limits are ambitious and usually require a multi-year roadmap.
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