How to Reduce Turnover in Your Commercial Buildings with Automation

The Houston area, and Texas in general, have seen tremendous economic growth in the past decade. There is always new construction going on everywhere, and many options for businesses and reorganizations to relocate.

What are the reasons tenants move offices or retail locations? Sometimes it's about the old real estate adage of location, location, location, but often it's about amenities and features of properties. Commercial properties that don't keep up to date with the latest trends and amenities often get left behind. One way to keep your tenants from going elsewhere in River Oaks is with strategic investments in commercial building automation. Keep reading for ways to keep tenants happy – and in your buildings– with these automation technologies.

SEE MORE: How Commercial Automation Helps You Manage Multiple Offices

Climate Control for Comfort and Efficiency

Some older properties may not have been designed for energy efficiency either by the HVAC systems installed, lesser insulation from a different era or code, or unsophisticated control systems. Even if you can't entirely retrofit your property to modern standards, smart climate control can help.

 Invest in intelligent thermostats to regulate temperature across floors and buildings and centralized management to ensure that the settings are balanced for efficiency and comfort. Let tenants control individual areas for comfort during different parts of the day, but have controls for keeping the temperature at efficient settings when the building is lightly occupied or empty.

The judicious use of occupancy sensors can help increase  HVAC efficiency. Keep conference rooms from over-cooling when no one is detected in the room. If the temperature is changed for comfort, have it revert to efficiency settings with timers or occupancy detection.

Lighting for Comfort and Safety

Lighting serves many purposes, from the purely functional to increasing comfort and aesthetics to safety. Smart lighting control systems and occupancy sensors can also help maintain efficient lighting usage.

That conference room can turn its lights off when no one is in it. Similarly, some bathrooms need only light up when someone walks in. In off-hours, you can reduce lighting usage via sensors, lighting schedules, or other triggers.

For example, if your building's security cameras detect no activity anywhere, all but safety lighting can be turned off. For safety and security, your parking garages can employ sensors when people are present to light up. When the garage is empty at night or devoid of activity, much of the non-essential lighting can be turned off.

Access Control and Security

Most buildings and properties have public spaces and spaces with restricted entry only for tenants. Access control systems can ensure that only tenants have secure access to offices and common spaces while keeping out those that shouldn't be there.

Touchless access control systems with cards and fobs can also ensure that non-tenants don't avail themselves of areas they shouldn't use and also make your tenants feel safer, especially after regular business hours. Automated access to parking lots and garages also adds to the safety factor as opposed to unsecured parking areas. 

Another way to increase security is through video surveillance. Install cameras in entries, parking areas, and common spaces to monitor activities. Should any incidents occur, alerts can be sent to security personnel, and video feeds can be searched for details of the event for investigation.

Keep your tenants in your properties with modern automation for comfort, safety, and efficiency. To learn more, set up a consultation with our team by calling (877) 418-ASAP, filling out our contact form, or start a live chat with us below. We look forward to working with you!