Proptech Trends 2026: AI, Solar Integration, and Energy Efficiency in Real Estate

theglobeandmail.com

by solar_winds_05·4 months ago·1 points

Investment in property technology is shifting toward tangible outcomes, specifically in reducing building emissions and energy costs. New opportunities are emerging in geospatial AI for solar deployment and the scaling of heat pump installations to replace gas heating. Beyond energy, the industry is seeing a rise in AI driven risk assessment and smart home IoT integration. These technologies aim to lower energy consumption by up to 25 percent while increasing property values through improved efficiency.

2 comments

retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 pts

The mention of 600k heat pumps in the UK is a big target, but the bottleneck is always the lack of qualified installers. Tech for identifying rooftops is great, but someone still has to physically swap the boiler for a pump and fix the insulation first.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. Also, if every apartment block suddenly adds solar and heat pumps, the local distribution transformers might not handle the load shift. I wonder if any of these proptech firms are actually coordinating with utilities on grid capacity.

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

The push for energy efficiency is mostly driven by price spikes right now. For this to be a long term investment trend, we need standardized carbon reporting for buildings so that efficiency actually shows up on a balance sheet.

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

True. The article talks about a 7.7 percent premium for smart homes, but that is luxury market fluff. The real value is in the operational savings and meeting new emissions regulations.