Real estate management is a multidisciplinary business made of sales, retention, energy savings, maintenance, operations and human resource management, health & safety, financials and accounting, regulations, buy/sell property, and scaling operations. Each management company has their own set of challenges which managers try to overcome human talent and business techniques.
However, the tech industry is growing rapidly and stretches its arms into other industries, including real estate. Tech companies around the world address various issues including property market transparency (Zillow), maintenance and renovation market efficiency (Houzz), and of course short-term property rentals (Airbnb), to name a few.
In this specific article, I would to like to write about Israeli companies I have worked with that offer unique solutions to energy, operations, and sales that could transform any large commercial real estate property within 365 days.
URECSYS
Every large commercial real estate has some set of software and hardware that manage air conditioning and circulation. This isn't a unique set of controls a managers use but the systems set in place for most buildings are outdated and inefficient, which is where Urecsys comes in.
Air circulation is a huge problem in commercial buildings as they inadvertently entrap air pollution. This is a problem because humans spend most of their life breathing polluted indoor air, which according to WHO leads to 7,000,000 deaths per year around the world. Yes, that's 7 million people dying from indoor air, not including outside pollution. How is that? In most places, polluted air is a % of the clean air available, whereas indoors the polluted air your breathe can be 90% of the total air available to you.
People don’t simply fall dead, indoor air pollution causes health and mental complications that lead to death. Most people experience reduction in cognitive abilities and take sick days due to migraines, lung infections and other related diseases. Current systems are just not smart enough to find an efficient way to reduce indoor air pollution.
Urecsys came up with unique technological solutions that automatically reduce air pollution by an unprecedented 50% using clean air from outside (when it detects it) and accurate control of indoor air circulation as it senses pollution. Urecsys is easily installed on existing air control systems and instantly gets to work. Urecsys also reduces electricity expenses by approximately 25%.
Zero.Energy (ZES)
Climate control within our own room is something we've gotten used to, but we've always felt that the A/C in our room is too light, too cold, takes too long to cool or heat. Wouldn't it be great if your hotel room always had the optimal temperature? All year long? All that and save on redundant energy usage? These are questions not only visitors wonder, but hotel and building managers think about a lot.
ZES addressed this problem by developing a unique Climate Intelligence platform that automatically optimizes and perfects climates in multi-room commercial buildings. The ZES platform takes weather, site routines, utility tariffs, and in-room sensors into account when to control climates optimally.
What are the measurable benefits managers can expect from installing ZES? A reduction in energy expenses by 20%-30%, reduction in micro-management, customer satisfaction from room temperature, and air quality analysis for the post-pandemic world. Lastly and very importantly, reduce environmental damage.
Current clientele include international hotel chains Hilton and Marriott, commercial and government administration buildings, nursing homes, and many more.
A very common problem western economies experience is wastefulness. We tend to throw away unnecessary food we don't finish, fashion that's out of fashion, and vehicles that we buy every few years to keep technology, and more. In real estate, a problem many CRE owners and lessees face is wasting office space.
Over the past 100 years, office culture and design has undergone incredible changes, for example; we removed cubicles and most private offices in favor of 'open space' work areas.
This is a trend that continues to evolve but many offices switch lessees and design can't be the answer to every office space problem. This is where Pointgrab comes in.
Pointgrab installs sensors in offices that analyse how employees use and navigate work spaces to provide analytics on the use of office space. Their sensors are capable of analysing rooms as large as 520 square feet (48 square meters) and even more by using multiple sensors. They can detect the different people in the room and provide the software user a detailed analysis on how their spaces are used.
There are varying uses cases to understanding office occupancy over periods of time, for example; understanding how to use A/C more efficiently, repurpose under-used meeting rooms, improve productivity and collaboration, open up or close certain areas, and many more uses that depend on the user's data analytics.
How do I know which tech solutions are right for me?
There are many more companies, especially from Israel, that provide many types technological solutions to pressing issues; air quality and disease control, space usage, energy efficiency, reducing impact on the environment, and many more. In the end it all comes down to understanding what your business goals are and knowing all the solutions and tools available out there.
As is with every business, finding a partner that completes the knowledge gap you lack creates a stronger partnership. When choosing and integrating technological solutions, it is important to have a partner that understands the market and technologies, has your interest in mind, and enjoys the fruits of business improvements based only on the success of the integrations.
Future Middle East is a tech/business consultancy, run by Amos and Oz Talmor, that provides transparent consulting, access to large quality startups and industry knowledge on how to meet business goals using Israeli technology solutions. With satisfied clients in Israel, UAE and the new Arab nation friends of Israel, we feel fulfilled knowing we've made our clients' life easier and better.
Business Development Manager,
Oz Talmor