Asset Classes in Focus: Digital Operational Optimization for Healthcare Properties

Given the demographic shift and the growing need for care, healthcare real estate is becoming increasingly important, both for society and as an asset class for investors. CSR strategies at many companies, along with regulatory requirements like the EU Taxonomy Regulation in effect since 2020, are placing greater responsibility on the operators and owners of healthcare properties. They must not only ensure stable and secure operational processes but also meet the highest standards for indoor air quality, in addition to achieving energy efficiency, sustainability, and profitability.  

High Investment Pressure Amid a Growing Need for Optimization

The "Healthcare" asset class covers a wide range of property types—from nursing homes and assisted living facilities to rehabilitation clinics, hospitals, and medical office buildings. A look at the German investment market shows that demand remains high, even though the transaction volume for healthcare real estate saw a slight decline in 2024 to 1.1 billion euro (- 12 % compared to the previous year), according to figures from Savills. Nursing homes accounted for around 55 % of this volume (€ 617 million), followed by assisted living (€ 234 million) and clinics (€ 121 million). Each of these property types has specific requirements that directly impact the technical building equipment (TBE) and its control systems.

According to the German Property Federation (ZIA), the preservation and modernization of existing facilities are currently playing a crucial role due to the low number of new construction projects. This presents a dilemma for owners: the challenges are mounting—from high energy prices and skilled labor shortages to stricter regulatory requirements, expanded reporting obligations, and the implementation of ESG measures. This is especially evident when it comes to energy efficiency. In the nursing home sector, for example, a large portion of properties are over 25 years old, with about half being structurally outdated and energetically inefficient—requiring an estimated investment of over 40 billion euros just to improve energy efficiency. The energy-related renovations of these properties could save approximately 1.93 million tons of CO₂ annually.

But before undertaking large-scale renovations, it is worth looking at the heart of every property: its ongoing operations. It is precisely in buildings with exceptionally high demands for indoor air comfort, safety, and hygiene that enormous savings potential can be unlocked through the digital optimization of TBE.

Complex Requirements – Differentiated Solutions

Healthcare properties are among the most complex types of commercial buildings. The focus here is not just on comfort, but often on the health and safety of vulnerable groups. Therefore, the rule is that energy efficiency must never come at the expense of care quality. The high sensitivity of many areas is paramount—especially in operating rooms or intensive care units, where any intervention in existing systems must be performed with extreme caution and in compliance with strict safety and hygiene standards.

Operational requirements can differ significantly depending on the type of use. The following overview provides examples of typical requirements and relevant building systems across different segments of the "Health Care" asset class. While not exhaustive, it highlights the broad spectrum that operators and planners face daily:

Measures for Digital System Optimization

In light of the examples above, implementing digital operational optimization in healthcare real estate involves a series of specific technical challenges. One of these is the often-insufficient data availability, particularly in older buildings without comprehensive building automation. This is compounded by the proprietary systems of conventional building management technology (BMT), which hinder seamless integration. Individual systems or plants operate independently without a central database, severely limiting overarching optimization and operational transparency. This is precisely where cloud-based, AI-powered software solutions make a decisive contribution to sustainable optimization in the heterogeneous and highly sensitive environments of healthcare properties—in new buildings and existing stock alike.

Typical optimization measures can include:

• Seamless plug-and-play integration of existing BMT through modern cloud-based controls
• Real-time monitoring of CO₂ levels and air exchange rates in hygienically sensitive areas
• Predictive adjustment of schedules for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) in treatment rooms, waiting areas, and therapy and common spaces, for example, based on occupancy data and appointment bookings
• Connection of decentralized systems, such as those in various tenant units within medical office buildings
• Weather-predictive control of heating and cooling systems to avoid unnecessary heating or cooling during winter or summer periods
• Resolution of malfunctions, such as stuck valves in heating, cooling, and air handling units
• Optimized use of dynamic electricity tariffs through intelligent control of electricity procurement based on grid capacity and current energy prices

Invest in a Digital Future Today

The examples show that healthcare real estate holds enormous potential for reducing operating costs and increasing the safety and well-being of users and healthcare staff. Those who invest early in digital operational optimization can fully leverage this potential—without having to carry out extensive and expensive renovation measures:

• Transparency: All system, usage, and consumption data in one place, available at any time
• Connectivity: Integration of external data sources such as weather, occupancy, and PV generation
• Secure Access: For owners, operators, and external service providers
• Efficiency Gains: Up to 40% lower energy and operating costs through AI-based control
• Operational Reliability: Real-time identification and faster resolution of malfunctions
• Comfort: Healthier indoor air for patients and staff
• Energy Sovereignty: Ability to implement dynamic load management and optimize self-consumption or electricity procurement from the grid

Would you like to future-proof your healthcare properties with a digital upgrade?

Then get in touch with us. aedifion provides comprehensive support, from developing customized digitalization strategies and technical implementation to AI-powered optimization in ongoing operations.