How IoT enables efficient occupancy planning within Facilities Management

Today, Facilities Managers have a challenge to monitor the condition of their buildings and improve their utilisation. With little control over aspects such as heating, lighting and occupancy, estate managers and building owners have seen a rise in energy wastage and an increase in costs.

However, with the implementation of The Internet of Things (IoT), Facilities Managers can manage buildings more efficiently. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a popular term in recent years that simply describes the connectivity of an object with the internet, but IoT has developed into something much more transformative; it’s changing how we work and live.

Coworkers sitting at tables independently and using laptops, digital nomad, hot desking, freelancing

The introduction of intelligent buildings and the smart workplace has enabled organisations with a unique opportunity to reduce costs, monitor energy consumption in real time and ensure staff time is used as effectively as possible. Going forward, smart buildings will need to be responsive and automated in order to keep up with users’ expectations and adapting to their requirements and the space around them. The smart building market is expected to generate global revenue of $8.5 billion in 2020, up from $4.7 billion in 2016. One of the main areas Facilities Managers can utilise IoT for is occupancy planning.

Effective occupancy planning can be applied by monitoring the amount of desk, meeting room and space usage within buildings. It can also monitor the amount of people within the building. In a 2017 occupancy planning annual report, it stated that executives claimed 20% of available space was wasted and it could even be as high as 30 – 40%. However, by implementing real time monitoring, you can identify the amount of people within the building, when meeting space is underutilised and when it is in high demand. This will allow you to make good use of space and plan more effectively.

What are the benefits occupancy analytics?

Occupancy analytics refers to analysis of data related to an occupants’ location in order to derive information and insights on how to improve on building facilities and business performance. We take a look at the benefits of data occupancy below:

Understand usage trends:

Sensors deployed on hot desks and through the building to monitor occupancy and usage allows Facilities Managers to monitor how many people are using the facilities. Staff are also able to find out if there are desks available before travelling into the office, this provides them with a better employee experience as it reduces wasted time and travel. Additionally, for sensors within meeting rooms, the information also alerts users when there is a no show which allows others to use the room.

Reduces costs:

With occupancy information monitored in real time, staff travel costs are reduced as they know when a desk or room will be available. Automated sensors can help reduce costs within cleaning facilities for example. Energy costs are reduced on lighting, heating, carbon dioxide etc as Facilities Managers know exactly what and when facilities are being used.

Reduce energy consumption & improve building efficiency:

By monitoring lighting and temperature, Facilities Managers can reduce energy and costs associate with it. Real time monitoring of what temperature the building is or whether lights have been left burning allows Facilities Managers to take action. By doing so, energy consumption is reduced which ultimately saves costs.

Predictive maintenance:

Building costs can be expensive when handled manually and often costs are incurred once an issue has occurred. By deploying sensors, building performance is monitored and predictive maintenance can be detected before an alert is triggered.

Better use of resources and increased productivity:

The data driven from real time monitoring ensures processes are more efficient which enables better use of resources, enabling staff to spend more time on other responsibilities. Smart buildings also enhance productivity within your facilities workforce, increasing their capacity and enabling them to complete more jobs.

Totalmobile have significant expertise and experience within the Facilities Management industry working with a range of companies across the UK. If you’d like further information on our solutions including our IoT capabilities, contact us today.

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