Major care project increases energy efficiency – How better.energy is increasing Korian’s energy efficiency in over 50 care facilities

10 project highlights

• The better.energy radiator control system has proven to be one of the most efficient and economical ways for Korian to quickly and sustainably reduce energy costs and save CO₂.
• A pilot project was followed by eleven further locations in 2024, on the basis of which another 42 locations were then optimised in terms of energy efficiency with the better.energy solution in 2025.
• Further follow-up projects are already being planned for 2026.
• Well over 30,000 components are currently controlled by the better.energy platform.
• The better.energy solution will increase Korian’s energy efficiency by up to 25 per cent.
• better.energy raises the energy standard, upgrades Korian’s care properties and offers a future-proof solution that can be transferred to other locations.
• Betterspace’s energy efficiency solution for reducing heating costs is now an integral part of Korian’s decarbonisation strategy.
• Already tried and tested many times in practice, Betterspace has extensively tested and customised better.energy at Korian with a view to individual requirements.
• The federal subsidy for efficient buildings (BEG) supports the investment in better.energy with a 15% subsidy, easily applied for via a Betterspace partner.
• Employees and residents were kept informed and fully supported throughout the entire project realisation.

The importance of energy efficiency in care

According to the Federal Statistical Office, more than 5.7 million people in need of care live in Germany, and the trend is rising[i]. 14 per cent of these, i.e. around 800,000 people, are cared for in over 16,500 nursing homes, including more than 11,200 with fully inpatient long-term care[ii]. Energy requirements and energy costs are correspondingly high in order to provide residents with a comfortable living environment. Operators of care facilities face three challenges at the same time:

1. Saving energy
2. Saving energy in a way that keeps the costs of energy efficiency measures within an economic framework
3. Considering the comfort and well-being of residents

Activating efficiency reserves in existing properties

In many care properties, the potential for improving energy efficiency is far from exhausted – even without major interventions in the building structure and high investments. One of the most significant projects for decarbonisation in care facilities is currently demonstrating how much untapped potential there is and how it can be activated.

The cooperation project between Betterspace and Korian, which has been running since 2024, is reducing the energy consumption of a total of 54 locations by up to 25 per cent in a minimally invasive manner and upgrading the properties with a higher energy standard. This article shows you exactly how this works – from the first steps to successful implementation in 54 facilities to date.

42 kWh less energy consumption per square metre

The aim of the decarbonisation project is to significantly reduce Korian’s carbon footprint. The operator of 223 care facilities and 66 assisted living complexes in Germany is aiming to reduce its energy consumption at all locations from a measured 175 kWh per square metre to 133 kWh per square metre by the end of 2025.

“In order to combine high economic efficiency with ambitious decarbonisation targets, care specialist Korian sought an efficient and quickly implementable solution with a payback period of between three and five years,’ explains Benjamin Köhler, Managing Director of Betterspace. “With better.energy, we can achieve this and deliver an important measure to sustainably reduce energy consumption, CO₂ emissions and, last but not least, costs across the board.”

Korian’s sustainability goals:

• Energy consumption: Reduction from 175 kWh/m2 to 133 kWh/m2
• Timeframe: early 2024 to late 2025
• Paybackperiod: 3 to 5 years
• CO2 reduction by 2031: – 46% in line with the targets of the transition plan validated by SBTi
• Significant contribution to Clariane SE’s Europe-wide low-carbon roadmap

Reducing heating costs: cloud-based, wireless, cost-efficient

Korian opted for Betterspace’s better.energy solution with its modern combination of cloud-based, easy-to-use and functional software for greater energy efficiency. The better.energy platform offers a wireless LoRaWAN radio standard and controls more than 30,000 LoRaWAN components in the ongoing project, including smart radiator thermostats.

As a complete solution, better.energy is infinitely scalable, as demonstrated by the decarbonisation project between Betterspace and Korian. This began in 2024 with a pilot project, which initially demonstrated on a small scale which individual requirements were important for Korian and what energy-saving potential could be achieved with better.energy. Based on the initial experiences, the next locations were then optimised for energy efficiency with better.energy in a minimally invasive manner – wirelessly and cost-effectively, without major structural interventions.

Quick results for corporate climate targets

One challenge that Korian shares with many care facilities in this country is the relatively high proportion of existing properties that are several decades old and whose energy standards are not on a par with those of new buildings. “Since we want to achieve our climate targets in both the short and long term, it was important for us to first see how we could optimise the energy efficiency of our existing buildings as quickly and cost-effectively as possible,” says Kathleen Felix, Senior Energy Manager at Korian. “Thermal renovations to the building envelope usually involve high investments, combined with long payback periods, and are often impossible to implement during ongoing operations. This is especially true when major disruptions to businessprocesses and a loss of comfort for our residents need to be avoided.”

That was important during implementation

With the pilot project and the subsequent rollout of the better.energy solution at a total of 54 Korian locations, the decarbonisation project is making an essential contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy used by the care specialist. Korian formulated a clear requirements profile for implementation.

Korian’s requirements profile:

• Rapid implementation of a tried and tested solution
• No to minimal structural changes
• Reliable findings on savings in individual properties
• Future-proof investment and transferability to other buildings
• Immediate contribution to saving energy and achieving the company’s climate targets

Centrally controlled for decentralised comfort

The technical implementation of the Betterspace solution helps Korian achieve its ambitious goals in the shortest possible time. The smooth interaction of radio-based radiator control via the open LoRaWAN radio standard and modern radiator thermostats, as well as the efficient transmission of telemetry data via better.energy’s open API platform, lays the foundation for rule-based individual room control.

Thanks to cloud-based software, temperature limits can be set, open windows detected, desired temperatures reset and schedules created centrally at all locations. For individual comfort, residents can also adjust the room temperature manually at any time. In addition to the solutions already tried and tested by Betterspace, several unique options were also implemented at Korian.

Special technical features of Korian:

• Integration of existing LoRaWAN networks into better.energy
• Optimisation of rollout and processes for maximum resident comfort
• Display of Clariane’s LoRaWAN gateways on the better.energy platform
• Biweekly regular meetings for continuous process optimisation
• Planned: API integration for displaying selected data in the Betterspace platform
• Planned: Use of the Open API for the integration of sensor data into other systems, among other things

15% funding on all one-off costs

The successful application for the BEG funding of 15 per cent on the one-off costs and the first running costs has provided additional, very welcome relief on the cost side. The Bundesförderung für effiziente Gebäude (Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings, short: BEG) supports the investment in the system.

Korian’s management and technical staff were required to do as little as possible throughout the entire project process of applying for funding. The Betterspace full-service approach, from initial consultation to support with the funding application by competent partners at fixed framework contract conditions, contributed significantly to this.

better.energy changes energy perception and reduces the workload for employees

In addition to the ecological and economic advantages of the better.energy solution, there was another positive side effect: improved awareness of energy efficiency throughout Korian’s entire organisation. “The visible successes and clear savings potential have raised awareness that energy efficiency not only has ecological benefits, but also significant economic advantages,” says Felix. “Employees recognise that switching to smarter systems maintains or even improves comfort for residents and staff, while at the same time conserving resources.”

A key factor in the success of the project was the early involvement of local employees. Joint kick-off meetings with the teams and on-site and remote training sessions ensured that everyone involved was kept up to date with the project implementation at all times.

Conclusion and outlook

In 2026, the successful collaboration between Korian and Betterspace will be further expanded. The plan is to implement the better.energy radiator control system in over 70 additional Korian locations. This project not only highlights the cost-effectiveness of the solution but also demonstrates the easy scalability of the better.energy platform across multiple locations and tens of thousands of components.

Benjamin Cabanes, Member of the Korian Germany Management Board and Chief Real Estate Officer, sets clear targets: “Our stated goal for the end of 2025 is to reduce energy consumption at all locations to 133 kWh per square metre per year. The starting point for this was an energy consumption of 175 kWh per square metre in 2021. The new target for 2026 will be finalised by the Climate Committee. Korian is pushing ahead with various measures to achieve its goals, with the better.energy solution proving to be one of the most economical, alongside other levers such as the purchase of low-carbon energy, and we are delighted to have found a reliable partner in Betterspace for the implementation of the project.”

Benjamin Köhler, Managing Director of Betterspace, also also sums up the collaboration to date: “Equipping 54 locations with over 30,000 components was, of course, a challenge, but one that we were happy to take on. The excellent cooperation between the Korian and Betterspace project teams, as well as the project management tailored to Korian’s value chain, saved time and resources. Ultimately, the project also demonstrated the scalability of our better.energy platform. We look forward to continuing our collaboration in 2026.“

Sources:

• [i] Federal Statistical Office: Press release – 5.7 million people in need of care at the end of 2023: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2024/12/PD24_478_224.html
• [ii] Federal Statistical Office: Nursing homes and outpatient care services: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Gesundheit/Pflege/Tabellen/pflegeeinrichtungen-deutschland.html