Key takeaways

• Acting early reduces energy waste, downtime, and repair costs.
• 97% of buildings using proactive performance strategies see a positive return within a year.
• Stable indoor climates lead to happier tenants and longer leases.
• Continuous measurement is more effective than traditional audits.
• Real-time adjustments and predictive maintenance prevent unnecessary energy use.
• Use data insights to prioritize improvements with the highest impact.
• Sharing performance data builds trust and supports ESG reporting.
• Healthy Workers combines software and service to make proactive building management automatic and effortless, delivering a positive ROI within the first year from energy savings alone.

How proactive building maintenance boosts energy efficiency and increases returns

Tenants won’t stick around in spaces that are too hot, too cold, or constantly disrupted by technical issues. Add rising energy bills and frequent repairs to the mix, and you’re looking at a building that bleeds value. \In fact, 97% of all buildings that invest in proactive performance strategies see a

In fact, 97% of all buildings that invest in proactive performance strategies see a positive ROI within the first year based on energy savings alone. 

Proactive maintenance helps you avoid these problems by addressing them before they affect tenant experience or operating costs. It keeps climate systems running effectively, prevents breakdowns, and reduces unnecessary energy use.

That means fewer complaints, longer leases, and lower expenses, which are all key to improving your building’s overall performance and financial return. 

What is proactive building management, exactly?

Proactive building management means using real-time data, smart automation, and expert planning to improve performance continuously. You detect patterns, spot risks early, and make informed decisions before issues escalate. This helps you lower energy use, reduce repair costs, and extend the life of your systems.

It also allows you to invest where it matters most, based on facts rather than assumptions. Instead of reacting to problems, you stay one step ahead, saving you half as much time as when you would work proactively. 

And that’s exactly what Schroders Capital Netherlands experienced. By switching from reactive to proactive management in 13 office buildings, they were able to reduce energy consumption by 10-30% in just 12 months, all while improving comfort and control. It’s proof that acting early pays off, both in energy savings and in long-term asset value.

5 tips for proactively optimizing your buildings

Proactive building management sounds great in theory, but what does it look like in practice? The good news: it doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few smart changes, you can start improving energy efficiency, avoiding costly repairs, and boosting tenant satisfaction today.

1. Automate indoor climate control

Heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation systems are often some of the biggest energy drains in a building. If they run on fixed schedules or manual settings, chances are you’re wasting energy every single day. That’s where automation comes in.

Use smart controls to adjust systems based on occupancy, time of day, weather forecast, and even room usage. For example, reduce heating in unused meeting rooms or dim lights automatically when daylight is strong enough.

With a building management system (BMS) that responds in real-time, you’ll lower energy waste and keep indoor comfort levels high, without constant manual adjustments. 

2. Implement predictive maintenance

Waiting for equipment to fail isn’t just risky, it's expensive. Breakdowns lead to downtime, frustrated tenants, and unplanned repair costs. Predictive maintenance turns that around by helping you act before something goes wrong.

With smart sensors and alerts, you can monitor how your systems are performing and get notified when something’s off, like abnormal temperature shifts in an HVAC unit or inconsistent power usage in a lift system. That gives your team time to act before a small issue becomes a big disruption.

This approach helps you plan maintenance smarter, reduce emergency interventions, and extend the lifespan of costly equipment. And because it’s based on data, you can prioritize your resources where they’re needed the most, no guesswork required. 

3. Use data insights to prioritize building upgrades

Not every building upgrade is worth the same, and not every upgrade needs to happen right away. Instead of replacing windows or overhauling entire systems, data might show that optimizing ventilation schedules or fixing insulation leaks brings faster results with lower investment. The key is knowing what to tackle first. 

Without clear data, you risk spending on the wrong things. Performance insights help you see which areas waste the most energy, which systems are underperforming, and where small changes can make a big impact.

This shifts your decicion-making from reactive to strategic, so every upgrade is backed by facts. A solution such as Heallthy Workers lets you compare performance data cross zones, floors, or even individual assets.

That way, you can act where it matters most. For example, if one section consistently overheats, you might prioritize shading or smarter ventilation in that zone, and postpone expensive CapEx-investments until the data justifies. 

4. Continuously measure and improve performance

Buildings aren’t static. Usage changes, tenants move, and seasons shift. Instead of scheduling one-off “audits,” continuously measure performance.

With Healthy Workers, you can track energy consumption, comfort, and system efficiency in real time. The platform automatically highlights where performance drops and suggests actions to improve it.

By turning continuous measurement into a habit, you keep your buildings efficient, comfortable, and compliant, without waiting for external reports.

5. Transparently share data with tenants

Tenants are more conscious of their environmental impact than ever before, and they expect their buildings to reflect those values. But many don’t know how their behavior affects energy use or indoor comfort, let alone creating ESG-reports on this.

That’s why transparent data sharing is important. Give tenants access to relevant building data through custom dashboards or regular updates. Show how their floor compares to others in energy usage or ventilation insights during summer peaks.

It builds trust, creates awareness, and encourages more sustainable behavior, without policing how people work. Tenants who feel involved are more likely to collaborate, stay longer, and actively support your sustainability goals. Plus, it helps you meet ESG reporting standards with full stakeholder alignment.

Frequently asked questions about proactive property management

Still having questions about how to make it happen? We’ve gathered the most frequently asked questions we hear from real estate professionals. 

What’s the difference between proactive and reactive building management?

Reactive management means acting after something goes wrong—like fixing a broken HVAC or responding to tenant complaints. Proactive management uses real-time data to detect and fix inefficiencies before they cause problems. It’s faster, cheaper, and keeps buildings running at their best.

How quickly can I expect results with Healthy Workers?

Most customers see measurable improvements within weeks and a positive ROI within the first year, based on energy savings alone. The platform identifies low-cost optimizations first, so you start saving before any major investments are needed.

Does Healthy Workers replace my existing Building Management System (BMS)?

No. Healthy Workers connects to your existing BMS and sensors to make them smarter. The software analyzes data, detects inefficiencies, and works alongside your facility teams and installers to continuously improve performance.

Is it difficult to implement Healthy Workers?

Not at all. Implementation is fast and requires minimal IT effort. Once connected, Healthy Workers automatically starts measuring performance and generating insights. You’ll quickly see where energy is wasted and which optimizations deliver the highest impact.

How Healthy Workers helps you to improve energy efficiency and improve building building performance automatically

Healthy Workers gives you everything you need to manage your buildings smarter, not harder. Our full-service platform automatically monitors energy use and indoor climate, detects inefficiencies, and helps you act before problems escalate.

Here’s how Healthy Workers supports proactive building management at scale:

• Real-time monitoring: See how your buildings perform anytime, across your portfolio.
• Automatic optimization: Detect and fix inefficiencies before they impact comfort or cost.
• Data-backed decision-making: Prioritize where to invest for the highest return.
• Expert support: We guide you from insights to action—no manual audits, no guesswork.‍
• Tenant dashboards: Keep everyone aligned on comfort and ESG goals.

Start by measuring. Within weeks, you’ll know exactly where your biggest gains are, and within a year, you’ll see a positive ROI. Book your demo now and make your buildings more efficient, one decision at a time.