The conference brought together some of the most influential figures in decarbonizing real estate, providing a unique platform for knowledge sharing. Topics covered included case studies from a range of subsectors, financing, solar, defining net zero goals, growing energy demand, affordable housing, embodied carbon, and more.

Andrew Alesbury led a discussion on the transformative role of artificial intelligence in real estate sustainability. Participants raised a number of potential use cases of AI, including optimizing energy efficiency, streamlining operations, compliance and reporting, and identifying cost-effective decarbonization strategies.

Andrew also highlighted how AI-powered tools can be leveraged to identify ROI-positive interventions at a portfolio level, enabling real estate owners and investors to make data-driven decisions that enhance both financial and environmental performance. Such tools leverage digital twins, public databases, irradiation studies, and more to determine the optimized decarbonization pathway for a given asset.

Ben Vatterott also facilitated discussion on the potential impact of the new Trump administration on real estate sustainability. His presentation covered key shifts in policy, corporate messaging, and the evolving business case for decarbonization.

During the discussion, Ben also shared an update on the potential impact of tariffs on the business case for sustainability, including initial analyses prepared by Telesto on which sustainability technologies are likely to be most impacted. As an example, Ben highlighted the high proportion of heat pumps being imported from Mexico and the large potential impact of tariffs on this trade flow.