aedifion, Green Fusion and Optiml announce collaboration to accelerate portfolio decarbonization - linking operational energy savings to financeable transition plans

Executive summary

• Three-way collaboration unites "operations and decision-grade portfolio strategy": aedifion, Green Fusion and Optiml connect building-level EMS/BMS optimization with portfolio decision intelligence, so efficiency gains feed directly into capex sequencing and transition planning.
• Efficiency-first is the new retrofit playbook—and needs decision-grade planning: Owners and asset managers are scaling low-disruption efficiency programs (EMS/BMS, operational optimization) to cut costs fast and leverage grid decarbonization—while still needing auditable, lender/IC/LP-ready capex and retrofit plans over the full asset lifetime.
• Proven impact with scalable rollout and capex implications: The collaboration is grounded in measurable results: On average, Green Fusion delivers 16% energy savings by optimizing heating system performance across residential buildings, aedifion achieves significant operational savings of 22% on average for commercial buildings, and Optiml cites client work where an efficiency-first pathway cut estimated "green capex" needs by 30-50%.

ZURICH, LONDON, BERLIN and COLOGNE, Germany, March 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Optiml, Green Fusion and aedifion today announced a strategic collaboration to help real estate owners and operators decarbonize portfolios faster and more economically by connecting building-level energy management and optimization with portfolio-level transition planning and capital allocation.

The collaboration brings together three complementary capabilities:

• aedifion: AI-driven optimization of technical building systems for commercial and mixed-use assets
• Green Fusion: AI-supported energy management for residential heating and energy systems at scale
• Optiml (REDI platform): Portfolio decision intelligence that turns measured performance into auditable, investment-grade transition plans (Capex sequencing, prioritization, and financing readiness)

From efficiency to investment strategy: A unified approach to decarbonization and financial value

Optiml has integrated key capabilities from aedifion and Green Fusion into its REDI platform, enabling building level optimization data to directly inform portfoliowide transition and Capex planning.

Clients benefit in two main ways:

-          Portfolio-first planning: EMS/BMS and operational optimization can be prioritized and rolled out across entire portfolios as part of a holistic transition plan that reflects budgets, delivery capacity and refinancing timelines—while also embedding the long-term, sustainable transition pathway over the full holding period and building lifetime. When constraints change (e.g., budgets, lease events, regulatory requirements, energy prices, or asset strategy), the plan can be quickly adapted by updating assumptions and re-running scenarios, keeping sequencing financeable and executable.

-          Data first sequencing: Existing EMS/BMS data becomes the baseline for gap‑to‑target analysis, measuring NOI impact and building auditable, asset‑specific sequencing plans for remaining upgrades.

The combined approach helps owners and asset managers capture quick savings, strengthen the investment case for decarbonization, reduce execution risk and maintain a transparent, scalable decision trail. It also enables more accurate planning and right‑sizing of future Capex measures over the asset lifecycle.

Dr.-Ing. Johannes Fütterer, CEO & Co-Founder comments: "Decarbonization must not fail because of budget constraints or complexity. Buildings can already be operated far more efficiently today, without major construction work. By combining these efficiency gains with Optiml's planning intelligence, we enable owners to reduce CO₂ faster, improve NOI, and follow a clearly prioritized roadmap for future investments. Together with Green Fusion, we are creating an integrated system that translates operational data from residential and commercial buildings directly into strategic investment decisions. This turns energy efficiency into a true value lever for entire portfolios."

Paul Hock, CEO and Co-founder at Green Fusion, highlights: "Decarbonization of existing housing stock often fails due to high investment costs, such as those associated with building insulation. With Green Fusion, however, we can reduce energy consumption by around 16% immediately through AI-supported heating optimization, without any structural interventions and regardless of the type of heating system installed. Through our collaboration with aedifion and Optiml, we incorporate these operational successes directly into strategic asset planning. This is how we make climate protection measurable, financeable, and scalable for portfolio managers."

Nico Dehnert, Co-Founder & CCO of Optiml adds: "Decarbonization has become a capital allocation and refinancing topic. Owners need to reduce energy costs now, prove transition progress with data, and sequence remaining Capex in a way that works under real constraints—budgets, delivery capacity, and financing timelines. By combining Green Fusion and aedifion's operational optimization with Optiml's REDI decision layer, we enable clients to capture near-term efficiency gains and turn them into investment-grade transition plans—linked to NOI, risk and execution."

What real estate needs today: "efficiency-first" execution plus investment-grade Capex and retrofit planning

Decarbonization has become a core financial issue for real estate, shaped by limited Capex budgets, refinancing pressure and delivery bottlenecks. As a result, many owners and asset managers are shifting from "retrofit first" strategies to an efficiency-first approach: deploying EMS/BMS, operational optimization and other low-disruption efficiency measures across portfolios to reduce energy costs immediately, generate reliable data for later investments, and systematically capture the benefits of grid decarbonization over time as electricity gets cleaner.

Subsequent Capex upgrades—such as system replacements, electrification or envelope measures—are then sequenced over the asset lifecycle based on economics, feasibility and timing. This model aligns with International Energy Agency guidance, which identifies energy efficiency as the fastest and most cost-effective lever for CO₂ reduction. With Optiml's REDI, owners and asset managers can also translate efficiency-first rollouts into a decision-grade, auditable Capex sequencing and retrofit plan across the full holding period and building lifetime—supporting the level of rigor increasingly required by lenders, investment committees, LPs and occupiers.

Efficiency and operational optimization now sit at the heart of the business case for decarbonization: they boost NOI quickly, reduce investment risk through better baselines and system insights, and shorten payback periods—creating early wins that help finance deeper retrofits. The trend is accelerating, with the global Building Management System market expected to grow around 15% annually as portfolios scale up digital efficiency infrastructure.

Proven impact from operational optimization

Commercial buildings: "Operate smarter before you rebuild" (aedifion)

In office, mixed‑use and other complex commercial buildings, a significant share of decarbonization potential lies in day‑to‑day operations—how systems are controlled, scheduled and optimized. Because many of these assets already have advanced technical infrastructure in place, aedifion can unlock immediate efficiency gains without waiting for major construction.

By applying AI‑driven operational optimization, aedifion reduces avoidable energy use, cuts utility costs and improves NOI within weeks. At the same time, measured performance data strengthens future Capex decisions by providing accurate baselines, clearer system sizing and verifiable results. And because these improvements happen in the existing system setup, they minimize tenant disruption and avoid the delays typically associated with deep retrofits.

Residential portfolios: "Make the heating basement a portfolio lever" (Green Fusion)

In multifamily housing, the decarbonization bottleneck is often the complexity of heating systems at scale: heterogeneous plants (gas, district heating, hybrid, heat pumps), coupled with a lack of operational transparency, and constrained on-site capacity.

The solution: residential operators can roll out Green Fusion's digital monitoring and optimization quickly and without any upfront investments, while larger HVAC conversions and envelope measures are slower, capital intensive, and operationally disruptive.

Portfolio-wide heating optimization matters because it can reduce consumption without waiting for full modernization—supporting cost stability, reducing CO₂-related costs, improving reliability, and creating the data backbone for electrification sequencing (what to upgrade first, where, and why).
How portfolio managers benefit from Green Fusion's one-stop-shop solution:

-          Proven efficiency with an average of 16% in heating energy savings

-          No CapEx rollout through minimally invasive installation as a service (IaaS)

-          High-fidelity operational data for strategic decision-making support

-          A single, cloud-based interface for all assets that enables rapid, portfolio-wide rollouts.

Portfolio transition planning: "Efficiency-first pathways that stay financeable" (Optiml)

Across large portfolios, the hard part isn't identifying measures—it's deciding what to do first, where, and when under Capex limits, refinancing windows, operational constraints, and transition requirements. In practice, energy efficiency (EMS/BMS rollout, operational optimization, and on-site renewables where feasible) is often the highest-speed input to a transition pathway—because it can be deployed broadly and measured quickly, strengthening the investment case for subsequent steps.

In recent client projects, Optiml's REDI optimized existing Capex and retrofit plans for large portfolios with an efficiency-first pathway that prioritized energy efficiency measures (EMS/BMS) and PV reduced estimated "green Capex" requirements by up to ~95%, while still materially delaying projected CRREM stranding timelines.

About aedifion

aedifion is providing Germany's leading software for optimizing building operations in commercial buildings. Its AI-driven cloud platform reduces operating costs, energy use, and CO₂ emissions by up to 40 percent. The plug-and-play solution gathers real-time data, detects faults, recommends improvements, and can autonomously manage operations. With strong engineering expertise, aedifion supports asset managers and owners in increasing property value and aligning portfolios with ESG requirements. More information via www.aedifion.com.

About Green Fusion

Green Fusion is accelerating the transition to clean energy in the housing industry. The company provides a cloud-based, AI-driven energy management system that controls, monitors, analyzes, and optimizes heating and energy systems in residential buildings. Its customers include housing associations and other property managers, municipal utilities, contractors, and owners and operators of energy supply facilities. For more information via www.green-fusion.de.

About Optiml

Optiml is pioneering Real Estate Decision Intelligence (REDI) — a new software category enabling institutional investors, asset managers, owners and their consultants to continuously optimize hold, sell, invest and Capex sequencing decisions across real estate portfolios. Optiml combines AI, finance and governance expertise to give real estate leaders a transparent and auditable decision system built for modern constraints. More information via www.optiml.com.     

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2926160/Optiml_collab.jpg

Contact: Peter Panayi, ppanayi@optiml.com