Commercial real estate (CRE) owners and operators that are looking to reduce their carbon footprints and optimize their property operations cannot do so without smart technologies. And, in order to meet their long-term sustainability goals and attract and retain tenants, many industry leaders are turning to the growing number of proptech sustainability solutions in the market.
Technology offers a unique opportunity to enhance operations while simultaneously minimizing carbon and energy footprints at new and existing buildings. It is well-known that smart buildings save energy by automating controls and optimizing systems at a property. In fact, when a building’s systems (such as air conditioning, lighting, and elevators) are integrated, it can realize between 30 and 50% in energy savings.
HqO’s Marketplace highlights a variety of technology partners that help property teams execute their tenant experience and ESG initiatives. Two of these providers, Bractlet and Intuitive AI, create technology to help lead this charge on the sustainability front.
Enabling Energy-Efficient Properties
Tenants and their employees have higher expectations for their workplace than ever before, making the office no longer just a physical space. The office needs to provide flexibility and connection, and most of all, reflect employee values. To meet the needs of today’s socially-conscious employees, tenant companies need to be focused on sustainability.
As a result, tenants will increasingly opt for leasing properties that operate sustainably, are certified in green building standards, and invest in purposeful amenities. At the same time, landlords must report on their sustainability initiatives and communicate these results to tenants.
And, with buildings generating nearly 40% of annual global carbon emissions and 28% of these emissions coming from building operations, the built environment has a lot of room for improvement.
To help address the growing need for more energy efficient buildings, Bractlet’s solution helps their customers optimize their output. Their technology collects data and information on buildings and creates models that allow their customers to make the best, most capital-efficient decisions to drive savings and energy efficiency.
“This software aligns property teams and asset managers and helps them formulate a plan and understand the paybacks of their plan, financially and from an energy efficiency perspective,” said Matt Lynch, Chief Product Officer at Bractlet.
In addition to energy management, their built-in software tools also allow property teams to manage their ESG needs such as LEED, GRESB, and Energy Star certifications.
Working Towards a Zero-Waste Future
Optimizing energy output is only one of the ways that properties can reduce their carbon emissions and achieve more sustainable operations. There is also a growing need to measure, understand, and eliminate the waste that ends up in our landfills and oceans.
Waste management solutions present a substantial opportunity for properties to reduce their waste at scale. Intuitive AI offers one such solution through their smart waste management platform. Hassan Murad, CEO at Intuitive, spoke to their offering: “Our mission is to help people understand that the only way to reduce waste is to measure it and be smarter about it.”
Intuitive’s technology uses artificial intelligence at busy areas within a building to passively measure waste at trash receptacles. The platform measures, understands, and profiles all waste in real time so that building teams and tenants can know what they are producing on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Not only does their platform enable teams to understand their output and take steps to reduce it, it also helps optimize spending on waste pickup. The platform, when placed in a building’s dumpster or loading areas, informs teams when waste pickups are needed according to waste generation levels.
Leveraging Proptech Sustainability Solutions
Smart technology enables property teams to not only reduce their carbon footprint, but also save money in the process. There are a multitude of ways that technology is enabling a greener workplace, whether it be paying less for waste services or identifying areas to reduce energy output throughout a property.
These initiatives, when implemented correctly, will not only result in financial savings, but also go a long way towards attracting and retaining tenants that want their values reflected in the workplace.
Learn how property teams can enhance the workplace experience through ESG and technology today.
