Smart Building Technologies and their wide-ranging Returns
Commercial real estate continues to ebb and flow with flexible work schedules, economic booms and busts, population gains and declines, but the future of the smart building has never been brighter. And while it could be difficult to stomach new investments in improvements to a building or portfolio with so much in flux, the reality is that smart building technologies and upgrades provide an ROI for everyone involved.
Depending on the specific enhancements made to your building, combinations of smart cameras and flooring, adaptive HVAC systems, management software, and more lead to more comfortable and productive environments, lower energy and service bills, and higher property values. Here’s a breakdown.
Data and insights – Smart building data points include entries and exits, usage rates, traffic patterns, temperatures and comfort levels, and more. This data on its own is increasingly useful for both managers to ensure your building is properly serviced and to both managers and tenants to help them understand how their spaces are being used and where changes could be made.
Intelligent Building Management Solutions must understand Space Usage and Traffic
Energy savings – Incorporating smart building technologies and data points into your HVAC system is a sure-fire way to improve comfort and cut energy costs drastically. With advanced traffic systems capable of tracking and predicting occupancy, smart HVAC systems can adjust temperatures, vents, fan speeds, and more to create productive environments for occupants and greater energy-efficiency when areas are or aren’t being used.
The Problem (and Solution) for Workplace Energy Usage
Staffing and resource efficiency – Understanding how buildings and spaces are being used is essential to staff assignments. Security, custodians, and facility managers can see drastic improvements to their efforts with deeper data into where traffic is, where it should and shouldn’t be, which restrooms are being used and which aren’t, how busy Fridays usually are on each floor, and more. This leads to assignments and services based on need, not just routine.
Value enhancements – A building outfitted with smart technologies separates itself from similar buildings. Spaces that are clean, temperatures that are comfortable, bills that are low, and useful data make for happy tenants. And apart from lower operating costs, these technologies appeal to potential tenants who may be drawn to their capabilities to improve their own operations, as well as the reality of being a tenant in a space and building that operates at near peak efficiency.
For owners, managers, and tenants, smart building technologies and enhancements boost productivity and comfort, improve efficiency, and provide the data necessary to incorporate evidence-based design in changes to your spaces. While we can’t predict the market for commercial needs in the future, tenants will always be drawn to spaces they feel adapt to their needs and provide them with services and information they need to improve their own bottom-line.