Finding the right balance between indoor climate performance and energy efficiency can feel like an impossible goal. But what if there was a solution that could help you strike the perfect balance? With the right platform and advice, creating buildings that prioritize tenant comfort while minimizing energy use is possible. And we’re here to tell you exactly how.

How to optimize indoor climate performance and energy efficiency 

Striking the right balance between energy efficiency and indoor climate doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By following these tips, you can create properties that are sustainable, cost-effective, and comfortable for tenants at the same time: 

• Use accurate data for decision-making: real-time building insights help pinpoint inefficiencies and make targeted improvements.
• Implement advanced tools: Tools like building optimization platforms, smart sensors, and building automation systems enhance visibility and control of building performance.  
• Engage tenants: incorporate tenant feedback to ensure your buildings’ indoor climates align with tenants’ comfort needs.
• Adopt sustainable, smart technologies: from energy-efficient lighting to predictive analytics, sustainable, smart technologies lower costs while meeting ESG goals.
• Monitor performance continuously: regular, real-time tracking of your buildings’ performances means you can identify inefficiencies and improve performance over time. 

Keep reading to discover the challenges of increasing energy efficiency, and practical steps to optimize your buildings for both energy efficiency and indoor climate performance.

Challenges of increasing energy efficiency in real estate

Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is essential to achieving sustainability targets. But balancing energy reduction efforts while maintaining a comfortable indoor climate can feel like an endless tug-of-war. Here are the main energy efficiency challenges that property owners and managers are facing:  

Inadequate building data and insights

Without accurate data, measuring and managing energy efficiency becomes guesswork. Energy labels may give you a snapshot of a building’s performance but quickly become outdated. Sure you can log into the energy providers’ websites to check your overall usage, but unless you have access to more detailed insights, then it’s near impossible to take action to improve your energy efficiency. 

Misalignment between sustainability goals and operational efficiency

Sustainability and ESG requirements often include energy efficiency targets, such as achieving a certain energy rating or switching to more sustainable energy sources. However, efforts to meet these ESG targets may result in higher costs or inefficiencies, especially if there is limited visibility of the ROI of investing in energy efficiency improvements. 

Tenant complaints about indoor climate and comfort

If not properly implemented, some energy efficiency measures can lead to tenant dissatisfaction and turnover e.g. issues like inconsistent heating or cooling, and poor air quality. Yet, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), property owners who improve the energy efficiency of buildings can actually increase tenant satisfaction and asset value. 

Comfort, however, is highly subjective. What feels too warm for one tenant might feel just right for another. That’s why real-time data and accurate insights are essential. With the right information, you can make targeted adjustments that optimize energy use without compromising the comfort tenants expect.

Using accurate data to make smarter decisions

Imagine having a crystal-clear view of how your building operates, minute by minute. Building optimization platforms make this level of insight possible, helping you pinpoint inefficiencies and take targeted actions. This approach allowed Equity Estate to optimize energy use and cut costs across 8 properties within a year. Want to know the secret behind their success? Keep reading to find out.

Tools and technologies that bridge the gap

Accurate data and smart property technologies (PropTech) can help you find the right balance between energy efficiency and tenant comfort. From building optimization software to predictive analytics, these tools help consolidate data from hundreds of sources and turn complex data into clear, actionable insights and actions. Curious how they work? Here’s a breakdown of key tools:

Building optimization software

Building optimization software helps to monitor and adjust building systems in real-time, enabling property owners to fine-tune the indoor climate for maximum efficiency and tenant comfort. By automating key processes such as collecting energy use and equipment performance data, these tools save time, reduce human error and optimize building management.

Healthy Workers’ building optimization platform takes this a step further by centralizing data from multiple systems, such as HVAC, lighting, and energy systems, into user-friendly dashboards that can be customized per tenant, per building, or per property portfolio. 

This gives you a complete overview of your building's performance, enabling you to identify inefficiencies, track energy savings, and ensure regulatory compliance. This helps you to create comfortable indoor climates for your tenants while also increasing the energy efficiency of your buildings. 

Schroders Capital Netherlands worked with Healthy Workers to optimize the energy efficiency of 13 of their office buildings, achieving up to 30% energy savings in just one year without compromising tenant satisfaction. 

Smart building sensors

IoT-enabled sensors provide precise, real-time metrics on energy consumption, indoor air quality, temperature, equipment usage, and even occupancy. These sensors feed into building optimization platforms and other systems to ensure data accuracy. 

HVAC optimization technology

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are some of the most energy-intensive components of a building. Advanced HVAC optimization technologies use data analytics to fine-tune system settings, ensuring they run as efficiently as possible.

These technologies can detect patterns in energy use and suggest or automatically apply adjustments, such as reducing heat during non-peak hours. By integrating with other smart building tools, HVAC optimization technology helps reduce energy and other OpEx costs.

Building automation systems (BAS)

Building automation systems (BAS) bring multiple building functions, such as lighting, heating, and security, under one unified platform. By automating repetitive tasks and offering centralized control, BAS platforms improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. 

For example, lighting systems can be programmed to adjust based on occupancy or daylight levels, ensuring energy is only used when necessary. Healthy Workers’ platform also provides this functionality, making automated lighting adjustments part of a smarter energy strategy. These systems enable you to optimize system performance based on set thresholds for temperature, humidity, etc. 

Predictive analytics and AI tools

New technologies like predictive analytics and AI tools are renewing building management. These technologies analyze historical and real-time data to uncover inefficiencies and predict potential issues before they occur. 

For instance, AI-driven models can forecast maintenance needs for critical systems, allowing for timely interventions that prevent costly downtime. 

Practical steps to optimize both indoor climate and energy efficiency

Now that you know the challenges of increasing energy efficiency and some tools that may help, it’s time to share some practical ways you can optimize your buildings for both indoor climate performance and energy efficiency. Ready to see how small changes can lead to big results?

1. Use accurate, data-driven insights for targeted improvements

Instead of relying on assumptions or manually consolidating energy and other building data, you need access to accurate data in one place. Building optimization platforms provide real-time monitoring of energy use, CO2 levels, temperature fluctuations, humidity, and more. 

This makes it easier to identify inefficiencies, detect patterns, automate system adjustments, and optimize your building’s performance for both efficiency and tenant comfort.  

2. Integrate tenant feedback into building management processes

Tenants are the heartbeat of any building, and their feedback is invaluable for creating a comfortable and efficient indoor environment. By linking reported issues with real-time temperature, air quality, and occupancy data, you can determine whether tenant complaints reflect actual conditions. 

This ensures that adjustments are data-driven rather than reactive, reducing unnecessary changes while improving overall tenant satisfaction. The combination of objective insights and occupant feedback leads to smarter, more effective optimizations that balance energy efficiency with comfort. 

3. Adopt sustainable, smart technologies in your buildings 

Sustainability doesn’t have to come at a high cost. Technologies like energy-efficient lighting, smart HVAC systems, and building automation systems help to reduce operational expenses while helping you improve your building’s sustainability and reach your ESG goals. 

By adopting these technologies, you create spaces that are efficient, comfortable, and aligned with modern sustainability standards. 

The ROI of optimizing your buildings for efficiency and comfort

Balancing energy efficiency and indoor climate performance sounds great, but how does it affect your bottom line? Well, it can help you reduce OpEx, increase your returns and attract new tenants. 

Green buildings command 10% to 21% higher market values, attract higher rents, and experience lower vacancy rates. For example, upgrading your building’s energy performance certificate (EPC) from a G to a B label can yield an internal rate of return (IRR) of approximately 10%. 

Additionally, these buildings often come with reduced operational costs, as sustainable technologies lower energy consumption and maintenance requirements. NL Asset Management proved this when it achieved up to 36.2% gas savings and an ROI of >100% by optimizing 2 of its buildings with the help of Healthy Workers.  

Why Healthy Workers is your proven partner for balancing indoor climate and sustainability

When it comes to achieving sustainability without compromising tenant comfort, Healthy Workers leads the way. We combine data-driven insights with hands-on expertise to create solutions that work for both you and your tenants. 

With real-time energy monitoring, predictive analysis, and automated building controls, we provide data-driven insights that help you improve energy efficiency, reduce OpEx costs, increase the sustainability of your buildings, and create optimal indoor climates. 

Whether you’re aiming to increase asset value or meet ambitious ESG goals, we’re here to support your journey. Book a free demo today and see how we can help you create sustainable, healthy, and profitable smart buildings.