Rising energy costs, new regulatory requirements and the change in energy supply are increasingly changing the economic view of real estate. How buildings will be able to generate, store and intelligently use energy themselves in the future, and what new business models will emerge from this for investors, project developers and portfolio holders, will be the focus of a special trade fair format at this year’s Expo Real by DAVE partner Rohrer Immobilien. On 6 October, Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Timo Leukefeld will be a special guest at the DAVE stand and will be available exclusively for discussions with investors and developers.
Under the title “Rethinking Real Estate – Energy Self-Sufficiency, Intrinsic Value and New Business Models”, the focus will be deliberately on classic questions of energy efficiency. In the future, buildings will be able to develop from pure energy consumers to producers and storage systems. This will not only change their energy balance. Operating costs, technical complexity, rentability and long-term intrinsic value can also be reassessed.
“The discussion about energy in real estate is still very much about costs, efficiency classes and legal requirements. For investors, however, the decisive question is what impact new energy concepts have on the long-term value and sustainable profitability of a building,” says Sven Keussen, Managing Partner of Rohrer Immobilien. “This is exactly where we want to start at Expo Real. Timo Leukefeld thinks energy, real estate and business model together. This change of perspective is highly interesting for investors and project developers and opens up great opportunities.”
From energy consumer to energy producer
Leukefeld has been implementing projects for many years in which question, housing, energy and mobility are combined. In the meantime, almost 2,000 units have been built and are the inspiration for his concepts. The central approach is the extensive energy self-sufficiency of buildings. Energy is generated, stored and used locally as far as possible. At the same time, Leukefeld is focusing on a radical simplification of building technology for the benefit of residents and investors.
This development opens up a new perspective for the real estate industry. Energy is no longer regarded exclusively as a running cost factor, but can become part of the economic concept of a property. In conjunction with new rental and supply models, opportunities are emerging to reduce energy costs and dependencies and at the same time measurably increase profitability for owners and users.
“The real estate of the future can be radically simplified. We have to make buildings simpler, smarter and more independent,” says Leukefeld. “If real estate generates a large part of its energy itself and we think of energy, living and mobility together, completely new business models will emerge. This also changes the question of what makes a property valuable in the long term and whether the location remains the decisive factor.”
New criteria for investment decisions
For Rohrer Immobilien, the topic is also relevant against the background of changed investment decisions. In addition to location, use, rental development and structural quality, energy supply, operating costs and the technical sustainability of buildings are becoming increasingly important.
“Anyone who invests or develops today must ask themselves which property will still be economically viable in ten, 20 or 30 years,” says Keussen. “Energy self-sufficiency is not an end in itself. The decisive factor is whether a proven concept is robust, affordable and attractive for users. This is exactly what we would like to discuss with investors and project developers at Expo Real.”
Rohrer Immobilien is therefore inviting investors, project developers and property developers in particular to to take the opportunity for personal exchange with Leukefeld at the DAVE booth. The focus will be on specific questions from projects and portfolios: Which concepts pay off? How can technical systems be simplified? What new rental models are conceivable? And what influence can greater energy independence have on the long-term value of a property?
Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Timo Leukefeld at the Expo Real
6 October 2026,
DAVE booth: B1.524
