The “green skills” gap has become a large hurdle for owners who are attempting to improve their office assets.

Westley Thurley, European real estate segment leader at Schneider Electric, has warned that European office markets that are racing to meet upcoming new sustainability and energy performance standards could find their efforts hampered by a lack of green technology engineers.

Engineers with the experience and skills needed to install various modern HVAC systems such as air source heat pumps are in short supply and currently in heavy demand. Given the requirements for commercial real estate upgrading and the time it takes to train workers, this skills gap is set to increase over the medium term, warns Thurley. This lack of suitably trained engineers will put huge pressure on investors and managers as they attempt to renovate their office portfolios, he says.

“The theme we’re seeing at the moment involves a lot of our real estate customers facing a