HQE Operations Certification: enhance the value of your office assets
Cerway framework: 14 targets, 4 levels, 3-year cycle
Our team manages the 14 targets of the Sustainable Building in Operation framework (Building, Management, Use axes) over a renewable 3-year cycle, in line with applicable regulatory requirements and with the energy consumption reduction trajectory imposed on the commercial real estate stock.
The framework
The environmental operation framework structures management across 3 complementary axes:
- Sustainable building: intrinsic quality of the envelope and systems (HVAC, lighting, glazing).
- Sustainable management: OMS (Operation Management System), maintenance contracts, ISO 50001-compliant metering plan.
- Sustainable use: occupant behaviour and awareness, usage charter, RGAA signage.
The 14 targets are assessed according to 3 performance levels per target (Base, Performant, Very Performant), with an intermediate annual audit and triennial renewal. The French commercial real estate stock represents around 1 billion m², the majority of which must be renovated by 2050. The Tertiary Decree imposes a final energy consumption reduction trajectory for 2030, 2040 and 2050, with annual reporting on the dedicated platform.
Our interventions regularly reveal commercial buildings exceeding 200 kWhFE/m².year before works, compared with a Performant-level target of around 110 kWhFE/m².year for a standard office. The comfort temperature under normal occupancy, air quality and HVAC monitoring are integrated into the scoring.
The right angle
For the Asset Manager, environmental certification constitutes a balance-sheet asset
Industry orthodoxy presents environmental certification in operation as an ESG cost item to justify before the investment committee. In practice at Kytom, for a core+ asset intended for disposal within 36 to 60 months, certification is first and foremost an instrument for structuring exit value, and only secondarily an OPEX lever.
The Asset Manager calculation reads in three lines:
- Green value premium at transaction: certified commercial real estate transactions regularly show a significant premium at sale, documented by market observatories (see in particular the publications of CBRE, JLL and the Observatoire de l’Immobilier Durable), which can represent several yield points on a mid-sized asset.
- Avoided rent and vacancy rate: our experience across HQE Operations certification cycles shows a perceptible improvement in thermal and acoustic comfort, a recognised factor in occupant retention and faster re-letting at lease expiry.
- Securing: the 2030-2040-2050 trajectory becomes documented and auditable, which avoids a technical discount during buyer due diligence.
Conversely, for a long-term buy-and-hold asset held in a core fund, certification in operation is justified by OPEX gains alone and the payback extends to 24 to 36 months. The decision-maker is no longer the same: it is the CFO who arbitrates, not the Asset Manager.
Your gains
Measured ROI and cost structure for a 5,000 m²
On operations managed by our teams, energy savings are realised from the first year after the OMS is put in place, without heavy works. Water consumption falls noticeably thanks to sub-metering and flow regulators, generating recurring savings on rental charges.
| Item | Cost (5,000 m²) | Annual gain |
|---|---|---|
| Cerway audit (3 years) | 8,000 to 18,000 EUR | – |
| Kytom support | 18,000 to 35,000 EUR | – |
| Technical investments (BMS, metering, CO2 sensors) | 75,000 to 175,000 EUR (15 to 35 EUR/m²) | – |
| Energy and water savings | – | ~65,000 EUR/year |
The ranges are indicative and vary according to the building’s initial condition and the scope of intervention. On the CFO side, certification accelerates the SRI valuation of the portfolio and secures the regulatory trajectory for reducing consumption across the commercial real estate stock. On the HR Director and Office Manager side, thermal and acoustic comfort improves after the environmental certification cycle, which supports occupant satisfaction. A green value premium is observed on the rental market and strengthens overall profitability on core+ assets intended for disposal.
Calculation limit. The displayed ROI assumes a gas- or electricity-heated asset with initial consumption above 180 kWhFE/m².year. For an already efficient asset (below 130 kWhFE/m².year after recent renovation), the marginal gain becomes small and the payback extends: the environmental certification approach becomes an ESG positioning tool rather than a self-supporting financial lever.
When to abstain
Three cases in which we advise against an environmental certification approach in operation
Contrary to the usual sales pitch of certification bodies, we advise against operations certification in three specific situations:
- Single-tenant asset under 2,000 m²: the fixed cost of the Cerway audit cannot be absorbed and the ROI exceeds a reasonable timeframe according to our experience.
- Asset earmarked for disposal within 18 months: the certification expires with the next building permit and the green value premium does not materialise in time.
- Imminent heavy restructuring: operations certification loses its meaning if the envelope and systems are to be removed.
For these cases, a regulatory energy audit coupled with the simple energy declaration covers the legal obligation at a much lower cost. A clean file is better than a fragile certification.
We combine operations certification with two international frameworks when the investor profile justifies it. The first covers the asset and management across 9 categories, in a format appreciated by Anglo-Saxon investors, with an annual audit cycle. The second framework targets occupant health across 10 concepts (air, water, light, movement). Pairing with this first framework is relevant for a pan-European fund, and the triptych combining operations certification and the health framework strengthens rental attractiveness in tight markets.
Method
- Initial audit and mapping of the 14 targets
We analyse 3 years of energy and utility invoices, conduct on-site readings and benchmark the asset against sector standards. The initial scoring of the 14 environmental targets is translated into a costed action plan, with explicit arbitration between Base, Performant, Very Performant and Excellent levels depending on the asset strategy (36-60 month disposal or buy-and-hold). - Co-building the OMS
Together with the property manager and HR teams, we build a structured and auditable Operation Management System. Twelve monthly indicators are shared (consumption, comfort, air quality, occupant satisfaction). The OMS structures the auditable evidence expected by Cerway and feeds directly into the annual declaration required by the commercial real estate regulation in force. - Deployment of corrective actions
Our building services engineers manage the installation of the BMS, sub-metering and CO2 sensors. The interior architects orchestrate the signage, usage charter and occupant awareness. The actions are calibrated to generate 22 to 28% energy savings from the first year, without heavy works. - Preparing and passing the Cerway audit
We assemble the evidence file, conduct a mock audit and establish a plan for clearing reservations. The Kytom referent supports the Cerway auditor on site. On the files we support, obtaining certification on the first pass is the rule, with tight framing ahead of the audit in 12 weeks on average.
