In the world of construction and commercial real estate, the question is no longer about knowing Whether to decarbonize. The trajectory is clear: all major real estate owners are committed to the goal Net Zero 2030. But behind these commitments, a colossal challenge persists: how to reconcile this climate ambition with the economic reality and technical constraints of tertiary buildings? This is the question that is being tried to answer EMBY, a young company founded by Sébastien Renaud and his partner.
In a new episode of the podcast The Builders, Sébastien Renaud shares the vision and solutions supported by EMBY: decarbonize without disrupting, while providing real economic value to owners. An ambitious but essential challenge.
Bridging the gap between real estate and energy
When Sébastien Renaud talks about his career, we understand where his conviction comes from. An engineer by training, he worked for several years in major real estate groups, in particular at Unibail Rodamco, at the heart of large-scale urban projects. But a few months ago, he decided to take a step aside. His observation: real estate owners, even the most committed, lack the right tools to achieve their decarbonization goals.
“There are a lot of technological solutions, but there was a lack of an actor capable of making the link between real estate and energy, with a real understanding of the constraints of owners”, he explains.
This is how EMBY was born, with a clear mission: to become a New generation energy specialist, capable of providing turnkey solutions to major owners to accelerate their energy transition.
https://youtu.be/egLqKGkFw0s
Installing power plants without disturbing the use of buildings
EMBY's ambition is simple in principle: install renewable energy plants directly on tertiary or commercial sites (shopping centers, office buildings, hotels...), without changing the use of the building.
“We install our solutions without disturbing the operation of the site. Our power plants are tailor-made, by combining several technological components according to the characteristics of the building”, explains Sébastien Renaud.
Among these technologies:
- Geothermal energy, with a minimally invasive drilling system, making it possible to capture carbon-free energy directly under the feet of the building.
- The sun, in addition, as soon as the available surfaces allow it.
- Waste heat recovery, especially in shopping centers, which emit a large amount of heat in summer. EMBY proposes to store this heat in the ground to be released in winter.
Each project is unique, designed according to the site, its land and its use.
An economic model designed for owners
Beyond technology, Sébastien Renaud insists on a point that is often overlooked by players in the energy transition: the economic model.
In commercial real estate, a major obstacle often prevents projects from seeing the light of day. The owners are the only ones to finance the investments, while the savings made benefit the tenants via a reduction in charges. An imbalance that hampers investment decisions.
EMBY offers a new model: sharing the value generated. “Our approach is for the owner to invest, but we return some of the value created to him. It's not just about greening your building, but also about finding a financial return.”
This economic mechanism is changing the situation. It makes these major infrastructure projects more attractive and convinces the major players in the sector.
Concrete results from the first few months
The EMBY adventure is young, but already promising. In less than a year, the company succeeded in undertaking paid studies on nearly half a million square meters. Shopping centers, hotels, offices... the biggest real estate owners are beginning to trust this new approach.
“Our conviction was that we should aim at big buildings right away. The market is structured around a limited number of major owners. We had to succeed in penetrating this ecosystem quickly.”
It is now done. EMBY has integrated the program SEED by Leonard, VINCI's accelerator, to strengthen its development.
Data and digital technology as performance drivers
In addition to the installation of infrastructures, EMBY relies on intelligent management of energy plants. The objective: to size and manage each project in real time, based on real building data.
“The challenge is to avoid theoretical approaches with margins of safety that are expensive. From the installation phase, we capture building data to adjust the power plant as accurately as possible.”
This approach is based on advanced numerical control: sensors, exploitation of data from BMS (Technical Building Management), optimization algorithms. A way ofavoid overinvestments and to maximize the site's renewable energy coverage.
A long-term vision to transform the market
For Sébastien Renaud, the energy transition of tertiary buildings will not only be achieved through technology. It also goes through a change in economic logic.
“We are convinced that in 2030, having a building heated by gas will be as obsolete as a building heated by oil today.”
The momentum is on: the major owners are committed, driven by regulations and by their own CSR objectives. EMBY wants to be a key player in this transformation, by offering one approach at the same time. technological, economic and sustainable.
An inspiring exchange on energy, innovation and new economic models in the sector.