Key takeaways
What property managers can take from Graham’s approach to sustainability
- Rooftop solar on Alberta warehouses pays off. A deregulated grid, plenty of sun, and low install costs mean owners can keep carbon credits and pass savings on to tenants, with paybacks starting around 9 to 11 years.
- Look past the five-year payback. Graham sees that rule of thumb as an outdated way to decide which building projects get done.
- Poor performers face a brown discount. Insurers and lenders are weighing climate risk and operating costs, and buildings with high costs or repeated claims are losing value.
- Leak detection is starting to pay. One of Graham’s clients saw its property deductible drop 60%, a $150,000 saving, after installing proactive leak detection.
- Know what you don’t know. Graham credits his career to bringing the right experts to the table and to working across a traditionally siloed industry.
About the guest
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Graham Halsall
Founder and President, Halsall Building Solutions
Graham founded Halsall Building Solutions, an Alberta-based commercial real estate consultancy, in 2025. A third-generation buildings professional, he has worked on LEED certifications, opened Western Canada operations for a building performance software firm, and led sustainability at One Properties for four years. He is also a senior advisor with Cirkuit and treasurer of BOMA Calgary.
Episode summary
In this episode
Jared Sarbit talks with Graham Halsall, founder of Halsall Building Solutions. Graham comes from three generations in the buildings world and has worked in building envelope consulting, LEED certification, building performance software, and four years leading sustainability at One Properties before starting his own consultancy in 2025.
Graham explains how his firm helps owners move from sustainability plans to action, why rooftop solar works financially on Alberta warehouses, and how insurers and lenders are starting to price climate risk. He also shares how he modernized property accounting with automation, why social sustainability is good business, and what excites him about real-time building data from Cirkuit.
He also covers collaboration through BOMA and other industry groups, and how janitorial teams can use robotics, recycling programs, and healthier products to make operations more sustainable.
Chapters
- 0:00Episode preview
- 1:42Introducing Graham Halsall
- 1:55Three generations in the buildings world
- 4:59What Halsall Building Solutions does
- 7:27Knowing what you don’t know
- 9:23Modernizing property accounting at One Properties
- 11:40Why rooftop solar pays off in Alberta
- 15:14Climate risk, insurers, and brown discounts
- 16:31Why social sustainability matters
- 18:52Real-time building data with Cirkuit
- 23:02Industry collaboration and succession
- 28:23Advice for starting on sustainability
- 28:58Making janitorial operations more sustainable
- 30:37The property he would love to consult on
- 31:45Book and podcast recommendations
Jump to a chapter (15)
- 0:00Episode preview
- 1:42Introducing Graham Halsall
- 1:55Three generations in the buildings world
- 4:59What Halsall Building Solutions does
- 7:27Knowing what you don’t know
- 9:23Modernizing property accounting at One Properties
- 11:40Why rooftop solar pays off in Alberta
- 15:14Climate risk, insurers, and brown discounts
- 16:31Why social sustainability matters
- 18:52Real-time building data with Cirkuit
- 23:02Industry collaboration and succession
- 28:23Advice for starting on sustainability
- 28:58Making janitorial operations more sustainable
- 30:37The property he would love to consult on
- 31:45Book and podcast recommendations
From the conversation
Transcript excerpts
Institutional owners… are wise to the undeniable fact that for rooftop solar on a warehouse in Alberta, the math pencils out.
Graham HalsallPlay from 11:57
I take great pride in knowing what I don’t know, and that’s a lot.
Graham HalsallPlay from 7:35
Real estate’s also about people. And we house them… feed them, give them workplaces… employ them.
Graham HalsallPlay from 17:35
Looking for a greener way to keep your building clean?
We’ll walk your building with you and send a written cleaning scope and price. Free, no obligation.
Read the conversation
Full episode transcript
Show transcript
Paste the edited transcript here.
FAQ
Sustainability questions
Does rooftop solar make sense for commercial buildings in Alberta?
Graham Halsall says it does for warehouses. Alberta’s deregulated electricity market, strong sunshine, and low install costs mean the numbers work, and owners can keep carbon credits while passing savings on to tenants. He sees paybacks of about 9 to 11 years to start, depending on factors like roof condition.
What is a brown discount in commercial real estate?
It is a lower valuation for buildings with high operating costs, poor performance, or repeated insurance claims. Graham says insurers and lenders are paying closer attention to climate risk, which can leave owners holding properties that tenants and investors avoid.
How can janitorial operations become more sustainable?
Graham points to robotic cleaning equipment with LiDAR-based tracking, recycling and reuse programs that are approaching full waste diversion in some buildings, and healthier cleaning products that perform as well as traditional ones.
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