Scheduling Chronicles

Latest Addition to PeopleCounter Solution Helps Reduce Real-Estate and Energy Costs by Providing Accurate Space-Utilization Data and Analysis

FRAMINGHAM, Massachusetts—October 26, 2011—PeopleCube, the world’s largest provider of workplace management software solutions, today announced the immediate availability of desk-sensor technology for its PeopleCounter line of space-utilization solutions. PeopleCounter provides state-of-the-art traffic and occupancy detection and in-depth interactive visualization dashboards so organizations can actively track, measure, and analyze occupancy and space utilization organization-wide, and down to the individual workspace level.

“This unprecedented level of passive occupancy detection is a huge step toward companies’ finally getting a handle on their true space utilization, thereby opening the door for significant real-estate and energy cost reductions,” said John T. Anderson, president and CEO of PeopleCube. “Considering that companies pay an average of $10,000 per employee workspace, and that roughly 40 percent of commercial space goes unused during a typical workday, companies simply cannot afford to let their real-estate utilization go unmeasured. PeopleCounter automatically captures and analyzes if, when, and for how long space is used to help uncover ways to reduce or repurpose underutilized real estate and hibernate space at times when it’s not needed.”

“While underutilized commercial real estate can be a significant (yet often unquantified) drain on corporate budgets, organizations have found it difficult to capture the accurate and timely space-utilization data required to identify such excess capacity and harvest this budget waste,” said Rob Schafer, research director at Gartner. “For organizations that own or lease significant real-estate assets, understanding traffic volumes, occupancy, duration of occupancy, and workspace utilization can yield material economic benefits by reducing real-estate, energy, and operational costs.”

Using Occupancy Detection to Reduce Real-Estate Costs

PeopleCounter offers comprehensive space-utilization detection and analysis tools that provide the information needed to make educated, cost-effective decisions about real estate. Using the combined occupancy and traffic detection devices and in-depth reporting visualizations in PeopleCounter, companies can identify traffic patterns; determine what space was actually used; when and for how long it was used; and determine the average and maximum occupancy of any location or workspace.
Such space-utilization audits help uncover the actual costs associated with unused or underutilized space, how much of that space can be eliminated, or, in the case of leased space, how it might be repurposed to better align with changes to the corporate culture. PeopleCounter can also be used to determine if it would be more cost-effective to migrate from a fixed to variable workspace model using outside vendors, and to evaluate whether telework and other flex programs are delivering the expected value.

Accurate Counts and Comprehensive Analysis

In addition to the newly introduced desk sensor, PeopleCounter features advanced image sensors that can passively count—with greater than 95 percent accuracy—the number of people entering and exiting a particular location. Since passive systems require no user interaction or training, there is no risk of human error corrupting the data.

PeopleCounter also includes PeopleCube’s Workplace BI analytics application, which presents collected occupancy data in interactive visualizations rather than static reports, thus allowing organizations to analyze data from multiple angles. Companies can use this capability to answer specific and financially consequential questions such as “Was the room or desk actually used?,” “For how long was it used?,” “How many people used it?”, “How many people on average use this room?,” “Which rooms and desks were used most often?,” and “What has been the maximum occupancy of this work area?”

“With PeopleCounter, companies can finally determine if they are paying for more space than they need, or if they have the wrong mix of space types,” said Anderson. “They can see the seating and workspace preferences of their employees, and stop paying for unnecessary space that wastes money on both real-estate expenses and energy consumption.”

Leveraging PeopleCounter to Reduce Energy Costs

PeopleCounter can also be leveraged to uncover opportunities to significantly reduce energy consumption. By using PeopleCounter to understand traffic and space-utilization levels, organizations can identify areas within their facilities that are consuming unnecessary amounts of energy and take corrective action. Furthermore, PeopleCounter can be used in conjunction with other building management systems to automatically control the lighting and HVAC of a room, floor, or entire building, thereby incorporating active cost-reducing energy management measures into the overall facilities management infrastructure.

Live Webinar

A live webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 9 at 12:00PM EST which will provide an overview of the market drivers for occupancy detection, the PeopleCounter desk-sensor technology, and the ROI of the entire PeopleCounter solution.  Registrations can be made at www.peoplecube.com/pplctrwebinar.

Availability of PeopleCounter

PeopleCounter is available for immediate shipment. Organizations may purchase the solution outright or choose to lease it to conduct surveys. The PeopleCounter desk and image sensors are transferable, meaning they can be moved from location to location, allowing customers to conduct multiple occupancy and space-utilization surveys without purchasing additional equipment.