PAUL at the ESG Conference 2024
Once again, PAUL participated in this year’s ESG Conference organized by FondsForum in Frankfurt. Represented by CSO Mathias Neumann, who took part in an engaging panel discussion on the topic “We want to transform – But how? Is the Real Estate Industry losing ESG Momentum?” Neumann emphasized the necessity of pragmatism and trust in experts within the real estate sector. During the panel discussion, which also featured Jens Thumm, Co-Founder & CEO of Predium Technology GmbH, and Dr. Bernhard Frohn, Chairman of BOB efficiency design AG, Neumann drew a crucial conclusion: “The EU Taxonomy can be a tool to finally prompt action. However, actions and results are more important! ESG reporting should not be an end in itself but must initiate sustainable action, and that is precisely what we can achieve at PAUL.” https://vimeo.com/952359026?share=copy Source: www.ESG-Konferenz.de In an interview, he further explained that the real estate industry traditionally operates differently from other sectors. Nevertheless, this industry must also become active and embrace more pragmatism to achieve the set climate goals. He particularly highlighted the role of experts like PAUL, who can already help the real estate sector not only meet ESG requirements but also actively reduce CO2 emissions and accelerate the energy transition. PAUL offers a simple yet holistic solution for the real estate industry that can be implemented today. Under the motto “Not just measuring, but doing,” PAUL focuses on practical and effective measures to meet ESG criteria and reduce CO2 emissions.
Fundamenta Group Germany and PAUL Tech enter into cooperation
Fundamenta Group Germany has entered into a cooperation with the green-tech company PAUL Tech for intelligent heating control systems. Therefore Fundamenta has commissioned an expert in green energy for its fund products. Given the goals of the heat transition, the building industry faces a clear task: greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 55% by 2030. Buildings are to be climate-neutral by 2045. The associated challenges are immense. Time is of the essence, and previous solutions have proven to be resource-intensive. Achieving compatibility between climate protection and profitability seems difficult. PAUL Tech develops innovative technologies and solutions to minimize the CO₂ emissions of properties while simultaneously increasing their value. “Our goal is to achieve a fully decarbonized residential portfolio by 2045. The solution developed by PAUL Tech for intelligent and dynamic heating control convinced us and helps us to achieve our sustainability goals,” says Michael Achberger, Head of Construction & Development at Fundamenta Group Deutschland AG. “I am very pleased with the trust placed in PAUL by Fundamenta Group Deutschland AG. Taking this step with us means tapping valuable energy and CO2 savings potentials and developing portfolios towards stability and future viability, towards ‘green heating’,” comments Sascha Müller, CEO and Board Member of PAUL Tech AG. About Fundamenta Fundamenta Group Deutschland AG (“Fundamenta”) is an independent real estate asset manager and a subsidiary of Swiss Prime Site based in Switzerland. Fundamenta specializes in the conception, development, and active management of real estate investment products/portfolios. Focused and individual solutions are developed for the various investment needs of our institutional investors, family offices, and UHNWIs. The goal is to ensure optimal value creation for the managed properties through active asset and investment management. Currently, assets under management (AuM) amount to approximately 1 billion euros with around 4,000 residential units in the most important German economic centers. Swiss Prime Site is the largest real estate company in Switzerland and one of the leading real estate companies in Europe. The total portfolio of around 26 billion Swiss francs in assets includes both properties owned and properties managed for third parties in the Swiss Prime Site Solutions business area, in which Fundamenta is integrated. Swiss Prime Site was founded in 1999, is headquartered in Zug, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. www.fundamentagroup.de
We.Make.Future
We at PAUL Tech AG are proud to be part of this year’s City Day of North Rhine-Westphalia, which is themed “We.Make.Future.” Neuss serves as the host city for this significant event, taking place from May 7th to 8th, which also includes the general assembly. The City Day NRW brings together 39 cities, including 23 independent cities and 16 cities within districts, with a total population of around nine million residents. As the municipal umbrella organization, it represents about half of the state’s population. We had the privilege of presenting our cooperation at the invitation of Neusser Bauverein GmbH, where our innovative technology helps to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, thus saving energy, CO2, and costs. A big thank you goes out to Niki Lüdtke for the wonderful opportunity that has arisen for us. Steffen Römer (PAUL Tech) & Niki Lüdtke (Neusser Bauverein) Special thanks also go to Mayor and Chairman of the City Day NRW, Thomas Kufen, as well as Mayor Reiner Breuer, for their interest in PAUL and their visit to our booth at the Neuss City Hall. It was a fantastic opportunity to share our innovations with leading figures in municipal administration and to promote our vision of a sustainable future.
PAUL Tech uses sector interconnection
Our latest article from the magazine Immobilienzeitung. In this interview, Sascha Müller talks about our unique all-in-one solution PAUL Performance and the next step PAUL Net Zero.
PAUL in ZDF magazine: Energy savings through Artificial Intelligence
Thanks to our innovative AI technology, the Neusser Bauverein has made significant progress in energy efficiency and CO2 emission reduction by integrating our solutions into their existing heating systems. This groundbreaking technology is based on adaptive hydraulic balancing, made possible by our artificial intelligence. What is adaptive hydraulic balancing? Adaptive hydraulic balancing is a process that optimizes the heating systems in buildings by regulating the flow of heating water in radiators. This process ensures that all rooms are heated evenly without wasting unnecessary energy. Traditionally, hydraulic balancing was a time-consuming and complex process that had to be manually performed regularly. The Role of Artificial Intelligence Thanks to our development efforts, hydraulic balancing is now being revolutionized by artificial intelligence. Our intelligent technology enables automated and continuous balancing. The effectiveness and functionality have already been confirmed by TÜV Rheinland. But how does it work exactly? Automation through Artificial Intelligence Our software continuously learns from the data collected by the sensors deployed. It analyzes the system’s behavior and adjusts settings in real-time to ensure optimal performance. This not only eliminates the need for manual interventions but also minimizes potential errors. Advantages of the automated solution The advantages of this automated solution are manifold. Firstly, it leads to significant energy savings as heating systems operate more efficiently and do not waste excessive energy. This directly contributes to reducing CO2 emissions and supports the Neusser Bauverein in its commitment to environmental protection and sustainability. Furthermore, the continuous adjustment by artificial intelligence ensures consistently high comfort for the residents of the buildings. Every room is optimally heated without temperature fluctuations. A partnership for a sustainable future The collaboration between PAUL Tech AG and the Neusser Bauverein demonstrates how innovative technologies can address the challenges of climate change. By combining advanced engineering and artificial intelligence, we create a win-win situation for all involved: we reduce costs, lower emissions, and simultaneously increase comfort for residents. What makes this solution particularly attractive is its seamless integration into the existing heating system. Our team of experts ensured that the technology is smoothly integrated into the existing infrastructure, without causing additional costs or disruptions for residents. This is the path to a sustainable future, where innovation and efficiency go hand in hand. Watch the video now:
PAUL Performance achieves TÜV Rheinland Certification for hydronic balancing
In this interview, Timo Jäger, Head of Technical Engineering, who accompanied the certification process, explains the importance of hydronic balancing in buildings and why PAUL Performance is a significant breakthrough. PAUL Tech offers a new solution for optimizing building energy efficiency to minimize CO2 emissions. Why the focus on hydronic balancing? The building sector is a significant consumer of energy and producer of the associated CO2 emissions. Central to this issue is the energy required for heating and hot water. Inefficiencies in this area are often caused by problems, such as oversized, defective or poorly maintained boilers, hot water storage tanks and pumps. An additional challenge is inadequate hydraulic balancing of the system or subsystem. When not correctly executed, this can result in less-than-ideal heat distribution, which has several adverse effects: it increases overall energy consumption, causes inconsistent heating across different rooms and places an extra burden on heating components. These issues lead to energy wastage and can diminish the longevity of heating systems, creating unnecessary costs. By addressing and refining these aspects, we can significantly lower CO2 emissions and enhance energy efficiency in the building sector. What is hydronic balancing, and why does it need to be carried out? The VdZ describes hydronic balancing as ‘adjusting the volume flows in various subsystems to align with the planned target volume flows.’ Essentially, this process ensures the precise distribution of water and energy, to every part of the system, ensuring that the correct volume is available at each location whenever needed. As water flows through a pipe system, it encounters resistance and subsequent pressure loss, primarily due to friction on the pipe walls and various fittings within the pipe installation. The distance a consumer is from the heat source or pump plays a significant role; the greater the distance, the higher the resistance created by the existing pipe network. In an unbalanced system, water naturally follows the path of least resistance, leading to the most distant consumers receiving an inadequate heating water supply. In the unregulated state, water distribution follows the hydraulic principle where the largest water volume flows through the shortest heating pipes offering the least resistance. The longest pipes receive the least water. In such systems, consumers with hydraulically favored rising pipes experience an oversupply due to high differential pressure. This causes the water to move too rapidly across the heat exchange surface, impeding efficient heat transfer to the surrounding air. Consequently, the return temperature in these favorably situated lines is significantly high, often showing a temperature difference of less than 10 Kelvin and sometimes even below 5 Kelvin. This high differential pressure can also lead to noticeable flow noise at the radiator valves due to the high velocities. Conversely, hydraulically disadvantageous pipes are undersupplied because of pressure loss in the pipes, which prevents the necessary water flow. This results in insufficient volume flow, and individual consumers receive a poor heating performance. Why is PAUL Performance the best solution for carrying out hydronic balancing? Our unique blend of custom-built IoT-capable hardware and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) ensures that the heating and hot water system operates within an optimal and highly efficient range. The heating network continuously adjusts to match the real-time needs of users. PAUL consistently provides adaptive hydronic balancing, digitizes heat distribution within the building and substantially lowers energy consumption. PAUL detects and rectifies imbalances in the system, thereby tackling energy efficiency problems. PAUL has proven its capability to sustain the performance expectations of the system and its subcomponents, enhancing the energy efficiency of the heating process. This leads to optimized energy efficiency, resulting in significant savings in energy, emissions and costs. Many customers require proof that they have carried out hydronic balancing in accordance with the VdZ. Can PAUL provide such proof? Yes, PAUL can provide such proof. Our control method is TÜV-certified and recognized as being at least equivalent to hydronic balancing according to methods A and B of the VdZ. The PAUL Performance regulation is therefore regarded as an equivalent procedure in accordance with GEG § 60c (3). Additionally, as an authorized specialist company, we can confirm this with a signature from our experts. Would you like to know what advantages you can achieve with PAUL Performance? Then read on here. Timo Jäger has been at PAUL Tech AG since 2021 and is Head of Technical Engineering. He completed his studies in Bingen and Mainz, specializing in supply engineering and technical building management. Before joining PAUL, he held positions at LUWOGE Consult and BALCK+Partner. Timo on LinkedIn
HANNOVER Finanz acquires stake in PAUL Tech AG
This is HF’s second investment in the fast-growing market for innovative solutions and technologies to mitigate climate change, following its investment in First Climate. PAUL will use the newly provided funds in particular for investments and further growth. With its core product PAUL Performance, the company has developed a system that can reduce energy consumption and thus energy costs and CO2 taxes in buildings by up to 40 percent through permanent adaptive hydraulic balancing in real time. This also makes it possible to install heat pumps. The system, which is controlled by intelligent software using AI, enables owners of buildings of all asset classes to improve their energy efficiency class and thus the value of their property and obtain better financing conditions. The hardware is installed directly in the building’s central heating system as part of an “Equipment as a Service” (EaaS) model and is provided for a fee. PAUL’s customers include homeowners’ associations, housing associations, real estate investors and commercial enterprises. “The heating transition in Germany is one of the key challenges to achieving the climate targets and the need for investment in retrofitting existing buildings is huge. With its high-tech solutions, PAUL solves numerous challenges in the housing industry without additional costs for tenants and landlords. PAUL Performance shows that CO2 neutrality can be achieved through technology and not just by doing without. We are therefore very pleased to be able to support the company in its future plans and, due to the high demand, expect the business to grow strongly in the coming years,” says Goetz Hertz-Eichenrode, CEO of HANNOVER Finanz. “With this second investment in the Climate Tech segment, we are also driving forward the further development of our portfolio.” “As an energy platform, we develop innovative solutions and technologies to drive the energy transformation of the real estate market. PAUL’s goal is to achieve CO2 neutrality for all existing buildings, especially those 10 years and older, in a cost-efficient manner before 2045. In order to successfully pursue our growth course even faster, we need sufficient growth capital. However, the financing we have now received not only provides us with capital, but also with a strong partner in HANNOVER Finanz, whose network and expertise will help us move forward,” says Sascha Müller, founder and CEO of PAUL. The Hannover Finanz deal team included: Goetz Hertz-Eichenrode, Mirco Thelen, Dr. Christina Silberberger, Wolfgang Bartels The team worked together with the following advisors during the implementation: Commercial DD: Roland Berger, Technical DD: Invensity, Legal-Financial-Tax DD: Deloitte Hannover Press contactKatrin SlopiankaCorporate Communications0511 / 28 007-25slopianka@hannoverfinanz.de About the HANNOVER Finanz GroupFounded in 1979, HANNOVER Finanz has more than 40 years of experience as an equity capital partner for SMEs. The private equity house with headquarters in Hanover and an office in Vienna is one of the first venture capital providers for the DACH region and is an owner-managed investment company in its second generation. Well-known companies such as Fielmann, Rossmann and AIXTRON have realized their growth with equity capital from HANNOVER Finanz and taken advantage of its entrepreneurial support. Since its foundation, the equity capital partner for SMEs has completed over 250 projects and invested more than two billion euros. The main reasons for investments are growth financing and succession planning for solid medium-sized companies with annual sales of 20 million euros or more. In addition to majority shareholdings, the HANNOVER Finanz Group is one of the few investment companies in Germany that also acquires minority shareholdings. The portfolio currently includes 34 companies.www.hannoverfinanz.de
