More Than a Dashboard: How Next Sense Coaches Your Building to Peak Performance

In the race toward sustainable commercial real estate, data alone won’t get you across the finish line. Just like signing up for a gym won’t make you fit unless you know how to train effectively, having access to building performance data doesn’t guarantee improvement. What truly drives performance is guidance: a plan, a strategy, and someone who can derive insights from the data.

At Next Sense, we don’t just provide dashboards. We act as the personal trainer for your building. Our platform connects to real-time building data, and our Building Performance Experts (BPEs) work side by side with clients to translate data into action. Together, we help buildings consume less energy, provide more comfort for occupants, and align with net zero goals and ESG reporting requirements.

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A Smarter Way to Manage Buildings

“The commercial real estate industry is facing pressure from all sides,” says Katerina Ryabets, Product Manager at Next Sense. “There is a growing demand for transparency in data collection and reporting, but that’s only part of the picture. Tenants and investors have raised their level of expectation when it comes to buildings, no longer satisfied with just low costs, they expect quality. When a tenant commits to a lease they want assurance that the building is meeting high standards: comfortable, healthy spaces, with predictable energy performance that satisfies their own sustainability targets and operating budgets. Office performance and design needs to not only attract customers but keep them satisfied over time.”

Next Sense helps commercial landlords and tenants navigate that complexity. We are active in over 200 buildings in 14 countries and our services are made up of three key pillars:

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1. Smart Building Platform

The foundation of the Next Sense solution is a Smart Building Platform that connects directly to a building’s management system and collects data in real-time. It collects and visualizes this data across three core areas: sustainability performance (energy & water), employee well-being (including temperature, humidity, and CO2), and space usage. But more than just showing data, the platform helps clients understand and act on it.

“We present data in a way that’s actually helpful,” says Katerina. “We break it down by use and by source (think: heating, cooling, lighting, car charging) so you can really see where your energy is going and what the carbon impact is.”

This breakdown also enables insights in correlation with other data points, like occupancy or outdoor temperature. Clients begin to uncover patterns, like high energy use when a space is empty, that highlight opportunities for improvement. That’s where the insights rise to the top. Clients can export data for reporting and track performance over time through KPIs like Energy Use Intensity (EUI), which is essential for regulatory and ESG reporting.

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2. Professional Services

Our BPEs bring everything together. We don’t just say ‘here’s what the data shows.’ We go further: we run simulations, test scenarios, and help clients prioritize what to act on first. We help them understand it in context - how it correlates with other factors - and how to act on it.

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3. AI Controls

To translate insight into action, Next Sense includes AI-based Controls that automatically manage building systems like HVAC, lighting, and smart blinds. These controls respond in real time to occupancy patterns and weather by adjusting settings dynamically without waiting for manual intervention. “We built a system that optimizes on its own,” says Katerina. “You’re not waiting for a handyman to come once a month to change the settings. The building adjusts based on how it’s actually being used.”

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The Role and Value of Building Performance Experts

Where other solutions stop at monitoring, Next Sense continues by acting as a partner in the energy optimisation and sustainability transition of your building. We do this through our team of building physics educated professionals who guide and support you throughout this process.

“Our clients face a range of challenges,” explains Katerina. “Some need help getting data out of their buildings and making sense of it. For reporting, for operational decisions, or to monitor their entire asset portfolio from a single dashboard. Others come to us ahead of a major refurbishment, looking for guidance on where to focus their CAPEX investments. In some cases, clients are using too much energy and are at risk of being cut off from the grid. In others, there’s no sub-metering in place, so tenants receive generic invoices, even though their actual energy demand is likely much lower. These are the moments where our Building Performance Experts bring real value.”

Our team delivers regular data analytics and performance review sessions to evaluate how buildings are performing. In these sessions, we uncover actionable insights that local teams can implement. We help identify performance gaps, find energy conservation measures based on building data, and work directly with your facilities teams to implement them.

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Real-World Impact: a Use Case

Take the example of a modern commercial building. Though built to high sustainability standards, energy bills remained unexpectedly high. The client suspected something was off but didn’t know where to start.

We stepped in to dig deeper. The team correlated live data from the building management system with original design documents and other available materials. The problem? Heating and cooling set points weren’t optimized for the local climate.  

Rather than recommending expensive technology upgrades, the BPEs proposed a reprogramming of default system behaviours. In summer, the building retained heat longer than expected. By adjusting when and how heating and cooling systems activated, the building reduced energy consumption without sacrificing comfort.

“Even in the most advanced buildings, we always find room for improvement, we can go so far as to guarantee a 10% improvement to new clients,” says Ryabets. “It’s about understanding the real-world behaviour of the building, not just its design intentions.”

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Why This Matters for Asset Managers

For asset and portfolio managers, these insights are critical. Buildings are under increasing scrutiny, from regulators, investors and tenants.

“You can’t just collect data and hope for the best. You need to visualize it clearly, understand what it’s telling you, and know how to translate that into action. That’s what we help with,” says Katerina.

Beyond compliance, Next Sense also helps asset managers prioritize investments, track progress toward net zero targets, compliance, and maintain comfort for tenants and stability across their portfolios. Our combination of technology and human expertise ensures that opportunities aren’t missed and that strategies are always grounded in the building’s actual behaviour.

“A lot of platform providers give you data and then step away,” Katerina says. “We stay involved. We guide, we analyse, we simulate and advise. And we help you make decisions that actually move the needle.”

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It’s Time to Train Smarter – Using the Right Equipment

Sustainable buildings are continuously shaped through data, expertise, and active management. Like any high-performing athlete, a building needs more than tools. It needs coaching, insight, and strategy.

“We are not here to add another layer of complexity, but to simplify decision-making, optimize performance, and help our clients achieve their sustainability and operational goals,” Katerina concludes.

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Want to know more about our offering? Book a quick call.

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