Virtual Audits and Decarbonization Planning Tool (OPEN Technologies)

Core Features

OPEN's Virtual Decarbonization Planning suite is designed to streamline the earliest stages of retrofit planning. It uses AI, surrogate modelling, and multiple building data sources to produce rapid, portfolio-scale assessments that help organizations decide where detailed investigations and capital investments should be focused. Its principal features include:

• Virtual Energy Audits – Generates AI-driven virtual energy audits in approximately one-tenth of the time and at one-tenth of the cost of conventional manual audits.

• Portfolio Prioritization – Identifies which buildings across a portfolio offer the strongest opportunities for retrofits and energy conservation measures, helping organizations allocate engineering resources more effectively.

• Building-Level Decarbonization Plans – Produces property-specific recommendations, including emission reduction measures, estimated energy savings, implementation costs, and alignment with capital planning.

• Real-Time Multi-Source Data Analysis – Simultaneously processes information from multiple data sources to generate insights for a single building or thousands of properties at scale.

• Scenario-Based Planning – Uses surrogate modelling to evaluate alternative retrofit pathways quickly while maintaining close alignment with more computationally intensive energy modelling approaches.

• Financing and Incentive Integration – Incorporates available financing mechanisms and incentive programmes into recommended retrofit pathways to support investment planning.

Closing Insights

OPEN Technologies developed the Virtual Decarbonization Planning tool to address one of the principal barriers to large-scale building decarbonization: the cost and time associated with traditional energy audits. Instead of beginning every project with resource-intensive site visits and detailed energy modelling, the platform virtualizes early-stage assessments using AI and surrogate modelling techniques. According to the company, this enables organizations to obtain actionable decarbonization insights in a fraction of the time and cost while reserving detailed engineering work for the buildings where it will have the greatest value.

The platform is intended for organizations managing large building portfolios, including commercial property owners, governments, utilities, engineering consultants, and financial institutions supporting retrofit programmes. It has also been incorporated into initiatives such as Toronto Hydro's electrification concierge service, where it helps accelerate preliminary building screenings and identify suitable electrification opportunities before detailed project development.

A distinguishing aspect of the platform is its emphasis on scalable early-stage planning rather than detailed operational building management. By helping users identify the most promising retrofit opportunities, estimate savings and costs, and align projects with financing and incentive programmes, it aims to move more buildings into the retrofit pipeline. Pricing is available on request.