How Poor Space Utilization Silently Kills Profitability — Fix It With Butlr

Butlr provides a thermal, camera-free sensing platform that measures presence and movement to produce anonymized occupancy and spatial intelligence. It delivers continuous, privacy-preserving data that facilities and workplace teams can trust.

Key attributes

• Privacy-first people sensing
  • Detects heat and motion signatures without capturing identifiable visual information, avoiding personally identifiable information (PII).
• Camera-free thermal sensing
  • Operates across lighting conditions and maintains a lower privacy footprint than video-based solutions.
• AI-driven spatial intelligence
  • Translates raw sensor inputs into actionable analytics: utilization trends, peak times, dwell patterns, and zone-level heatmaps.
• Integration-friendly
  • Data can feed facility systems (BMS), room-booking platforms, and analytics dashboards to automate responses.

In short, Butlr delivers accurate, continuous occupancy data while preserving occupant privacy — providing the foundation for reliable, scalable space optimization.

Butlr’s platform addresses each silent drain with measurable operational improvements that reduce recurring costs and increase revenue potential.

• Right-size real estate commitments
  • Continuous utilization data reveals true square footage needs, enabling renegotiation, subleasing, or consolidation.
• Reduce energy and operating costs
  • Integrate occupancy signals with HVAC and lighting controls to condition spaces only when needed, cutting utility spend.
• Optimize cleaning and maintenance
  • Move from time-based to demand-based cleaning schedules, saving labor and materials while maintaining cleanliness standards.
• Improve workplace efficiency
  • Balance desk-to-space ratios, size collaboration areas correctly, and reduce time wasted searching for available spaces.
• Drive new revenue streams
  • Flexible-space operators can monetize unused hours or zones through dynamic pricing when they understand real patterns.
• Support better lease and capex decisions
  • Data-driven forecasts improve capital allocation and give leverage in lease negotiations.

A practical, phased approach helps prove value quickly and scale with confidence.

• 1. Define goals and KPIs
  • Examples: utilization rate by zone, average desk occupation, energy consumption per occupant, cost per usable square foot.
• 2. Baseline current performance
  • Use initial Butlr deployments or a short-term audit to capture current occupancy patterns and peak loads.
• 3. Deploy sensors strategically
  • Start with pilot zones: densest areas, expensive floors, or high-variance meeting spaces.
• 4. Integrate and automate
  • Feed occupancy data to BMS, room booking, and facilities management systems to automate HVAC schedules, lighting, and cleaning.
• 5. Iterate with stakeholders
  • Use dashboards and reports to involve workplace leaders and employees. Adjust configurations and policies based on behavior and feedback.
• 6. Scale and measure ROI
  • Expand sensor coverage, track KPI improvements, and calculate savings from reduced rent, energy, and operational expenses.

Focus on metrics that translate directly to dollars and experience so finance and operations teams can evaluate impact.

• Utilization rate (by zone and time period)
• Peak-to-average occupancy ratio
• Desk vacancy and hot-desk efficiency
• Energy use per occupant or per square foot
• Cleaning hours and costs per occupied area
• Cost per usable square foot (after right-sizing)
• Revenue per rentable hour (for flexible-space operators)

Estimate ROI with a simple, repeatable calculation to prioritize high-impact opportunities.

• Measure current average utilization and identify underused square footage.
• Multiply underused square footage by your cost per square foot (rent, taxes, maintenance).
• Estimate energy and cleaning savings from demand-based controls.
• Add potential revenue gains from monetizing unused space or improved productivity.
• Compare projected annual savings to the investment in sensing and integration to highlight quick wins.

Follow proven practices to maximize value and avoid common mistakes.

• Start small and prove value in pilot zones before full rollout.
• Align facilities, HR, and IT early to ensure data is actionable and privacy expectations are managed.
• Prioritize privacy and transparency—communicate what is collected and why.
• Use data to enable better experiences, not just cuts—redeploy savings into higher-quality spaces where needed.
• Avoid one-off snapshots; continuous data uncovers temporal patterns that drive smarter decisions.

Poor space utilization is a quiet profitability killer because its costs are distributed across rent, energy, operations, and productivity. Solving it requires accurate, continuous, and privacy-respecting occupancy data rather than periodic surveys or invasive cameras. Butlr’s thermal, camera-free people sensing and AI-driven spatial intelligence gives organizations the reliable insights needed to right-size real estate, automate operations, and reimagine workplace design.

Start with a targeted pilot, track meaningful KPIs, and turn underused space from a cost center into a strategic advantage. Learn more about Butlr and how privacy-first spatial intelligence can optimize your buildings: https://butlr.com