How Building Analytics helps businesses prove their environmental credentials

All industries are feeling the heat as they work to improve their operations to achieve their net zero by 2050 targets. And in the built environment and property sectors, it’s no different. Everyone wants their business and practices to be seen as sustainable. Not just to prove they’re doing their bit for the environment, but also because it’s an effective way to increase profits and reputation.

The good news is that many businesses are proving that there’s no need for greenwashing: becoming more sustainable and achieving quick wins is actually more achievable than it sounds. In fact, 98% of companies have said they are already making progress toward their climate goals. And 75% have delivered short-term returns on their investment into becoming more sustainable.

Why being transparent matters

In the built environment, we often focus on the carbon output of buildings – both in their construction and operation phases. But it’s not just in the hands of builders, property owners, and facilities managers. The tenants of buildings can have a massive impact on how sustainably a building runs, too.

Access to building analytics can help everyone that works in, with, and for the building to understand where energy is being used and where they can save energy, allowing them to cut bills and streamline operations. But it’s also useful proof that businesses can show if asked about their environmental credentials. 

After all, it can be hard to really know who is putting their money where their mouth is. And businesses may face steep fines if their communications around sustainability and the environment are found to be misleading. So building analytics can act like receipts to confirm you’re doing what you say you are.

Can Building Analytics help? 

Implementing building analytics can allow teams to find opportunities to become more sustainable and assess whether new ‘smart’ strategies are actually working. Access to data helps them to truly understand how energy efficient their buildings are, which includes identifying areas for improvement. In turn, this is proven to increase energy efficiency for Building Management Systems (BMS) and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. 

For example, adjusting HVAC levels and improving waste management systems are all easy changes that buildings and their tenants can make to become more sustainable – but they might not have known that they needed improvement without the insights provided by actionable data. 

This is important in terms of both embodied and operational carbon in property. And while it is the responsibility of the construction and property development sectors to minimise the impact a building has while it is being built, everyone can contribute to keeping its lifetime carbon usage low. And with climate regulations becoming more stringent, and calls for them to become mandatory, the time to act is now. 

What are the barriers to sustainability?

A study by Black Rock has shown that 53% of people surveyed are concerned about “poor quality or availability of ESG data and analytics” when it comes to sustainable investing. This concern ranked higher than any other, and implies that one of the major obstacles when it comes to a global shift towards more sustainable business practices is a knowledge gap.  

However, the PropTech sector is growing, with over $10 billion invested in PropTech firms by October 2022. As a result, these businesses are becoming better equipped to explore and adopt solutions for sustainability. This includes the mitigation of rising costs for both buildings and the businesses that occupy them. 

How Demand Logic is making a difference

Demand Logic’s data analytics tools are helping brands across the country harness more control over their energy usage and spending. The companies, which include Avison Young, Grosvenor, and Legal & General, are now saving tens of thousands of pounds each year by streamlining their buildings and making them more energy efficient.

And while money saving is an obvious benefit, Demand Logic’s ability to show companies just how sustainable their buildings really are means they can then take steps towards improving the data every day, week, month and year. They’re also able to use these insights to prove their progress to shareholders and customers by showing their smart facilities management. 

Want to know more about how Demand Logic could help your building become more sustainable? Get in touch today.