Boost CRE Utilization of Office Space with Butlr's AI Sensors

Key benefits for CRE stakeholders

Butlr’s approach delivers value across asset management, operations, and tenant relations:

• Accurate utilization metrics: Know which desks, rooms, and floors are actively used and when.
• Improved space planning: Reconfigure or repurpose underused areas to higher-value uses such as coworking, amenities, or conference clusters.
• Energy and operational savings: Align HVAC, lighting, and cleaning with actual use to reduce OPEX.
• Privacy-first data: Maintain tenant trust with anonymous thermal sensing rather than cameras or badge tracking.
• Portfolio-level benchmarking: Compare building performance and identify marketable strengths to tenants.
• Better tenant experience: Use data to justify amenities and services that align with actual behavior.

High-impact CRE use cases

• Right-sizing office footprints: Identify consistently underutilized space and convert it to flexible leases, amenity space, or sublet opportunities; support negotiation with real-time occupancy evidence.
• Optimizing shared spaces: Understand meeting room utilization and reconfigure bookings, capacities, or convert underused rooms into collaboration zones.
• Energy optimization: Trigger HVAC and lighting schedules based on occupancy patterns to reduce energy waste during off-peak hours.
• Cleaning and maintenance efficiency: Move from time-based cleaning to usage-based cleaning cycles, saving labor costs while maintaining hygiene standards.
• Leasing and tenant retention: Use utilization data to demonstrate building efficiency and support tailored tenant fit-outs that improve satisfaction.
• Portfolio planning and benchmarking: Compare buildings for investment, disposition, or renovation priorities based on objective usage metrics.

Metrics that matter

Focus on a concise set of KPIs to drive decisions:

• Utilization rate: Percentage of available workspace used over a period.
• Peak vs. average occupancy: Helps size amenities and staffing.
• Dwell time: Average duration people spend in a space.
• Turnover frequency: How often a desk or room is used across a day.
• Unused capacity: Hours/days when space sits empty.
• Energy savings tied to occupancy-driven controls: Measured reduction in kWh or cost.

Collect these metrics at different granularities (desk, room, floor, building, portfolio) for layered insights.

Implementing Butlr sensors: a practical checklist

• Define objectives: Decide whether you’re optimizing square footage, cutting energy spend, reducing cleaning costs, or improving tenant services.
• Map target areas: Prioritize meeting rooms, hot-desking zones, lobbies, and amenities for initial deployment.
• Choose sensor types and placement: Use a mixture of wired and wireless sensors for coverage; place sensors to monitor entrances, open areas, and rooms without compromising privacy.
• Integrate with building systems: Connect data to BMS (building management system), workplace apps, and analytics platforms for automation and reporting.
• Start with a pilot: Run a 30–90 day pilot to validate patterns and calibrate sensors and AI thresholds.
• Scale and iterate: Expand deployment, refine dashboards, and implement operational changes based on results.

Privacy and compliance: what to expect

Privacy is a major concern in modern workplaces. Butlr’s heat-based sensors are designed to protect tenant privacy:

• No cameras or audio recording.
• No collection of faces or PII.
• Aggregated analytics to prevent individual tracking.

This approach helps satisfy legal and tenant privacy expectations while providing the data needed for operational decisions.

Measuring ROI and business impact

Calculating ROI depends on goals, but common benefits include reduced leased square footage, lower energy and cleaning costs, higher tenant retention, and increased revenue from converting low-use areas into revenue-generating spaces.

Example ROI levers

• 10–25% reduction in occupied square footage across a portfolio can produce substantial rent and operating expense savings.
• 15–40% energy savings in underused zones by deploying occupancy-driven controls.
• 10–20% lower cleaning costs by switching to demand-based cleaning.

Tracking pre- and post-deployment KPIs validates the investment and informs expansion.

Conclusion

Boosting CRE utilization with Butlr’s AI sensors gives owners and managers an evidence-based way to optimize space, cut costs, and improve tenant satisfaction. By combining anonymous heat-based sensing, AI analytics, and practical operational steps, CRE professionals can transform vague assumptions about space usage into clear, actionable strategies.

To explore how Butlr can support a tailored utilization strategy for your portfolio, consider a pilot deployment focused on high-impact areas to quickly realize measurable gains. For more about Butlr’s technology and sensor offerings, visit Butlr’s website or contact their team to start a CRE-focused pilot as part of the Butlr CRE 4December Campaign.