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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

In Focus: 5 Smart Building Resolutions for 2024

Building owners may look at the new year as a time to make good on goals they set for their buildings in previous years – whether that means upgrading outdated technology, focusing on net-zero carbon goals, or enhancing occupant experience.

Q1 2024
The key to reaching any of these lies in the strategic advancement of smart building initiatives by building owners. This can look different for each building depending on the needs, goals, and budget set in place for a given year. However, certain steps should be considered before embarking on the journey to transform an existing structure into a smart building.

1. Revisit your priorities. The first step in determining a direction is understanding where you’re starting from. Have priorities shifted? Should they? What are your goals around automation, deferred maintenance, improving building performance and more, and how are you getting there?

2. Ask these questions: Create a list and prioritize setting time with teams to uncover the following:
  • How can we increase energy and water efficiency to reduce operating costs?
  • What are our opportunities to automate manual tasks to manage labor shortages and boost productivity?
  • How do we plan to tackle deferred maintenance to ensure continued operation?
  • What are our plans to improve building performance to meet sustainability mandates?
A new year brings fresh opportunities to elevate your building in order to reach your energy and infrastructure goals. 3. Walk the terrain. See how your priorities are playing out across facilities. If you’re focused on reducing energy costs, are you having discussions around controlling energy use? Or if you’re aiming to streamline workflows, pay attention to what’s happening manually day-to-day. Put yourself in each situation to see how things are currently being done and how they can be improved.

4. Find a trusted advisor and schedule assessments (often). Work with an expert to learn what technology and infrastructure options are available for your specific needs. Once a partnership has been made, it’s time to assess your building’s current state – look at your building holistically to help address opportunities to upgrade indoor air quality, energy efficiency, security, and more.

5. Maximize available funding. Understand the cost of upgrades and retrofits then look to take advantage of any government initiatives or innovative funding approaches. How is the infrastructure bill impacting your work? What are the financing options available to you based on your energy efficiency goals? Will your city or county provide support if you meet certain criteria? Knowing the answers to these questions can help lower your stress while bringing your project to life.

Proactive measures taken early will help prevent costly and unwanted infrastructure challenges in the future. A new year brings fresh opportunities to elevate your building in order to reach your energy and infrastructure goals. Setting resolutions and sticking with them will ensure your smart building stands strong in 2024 and beyond.

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