Data Story

Unoccupied Space Waste

Invisible waste costs add up fast when spaces sit empty with systems still running.
Daily Electricity Consumption before and after Utopi Intervention

Scenario.

A PBSA operator noticed utility bills remained high during summer vacancies but couldn’t pinpoint where the waste was occurring. Using Utopi’s PIR occupancy data combined with granular electricity monitoring, the team identified a high-consumption space that had been unoccupied for over a month between August 5th and September 10th. Despite zero occupancy, heating and appliances continued running at full capacity, consuming 362kWh of electricity in 37 days. Enough to power an LED lightbulb for over 4 years!

Resolution.

The Utopi Platform revealed a concerning pattern of waste that had been completely invisible to the operations team. Over the 37-day vacancy period, the space consumed energy at rates comparable to an occupied room. The granular electricity data showed consistent daily consumption despite PIR sensors confirming zero movement or occupancy throughout the entire period. Thanks to real-time occupancy and consumption data working in tandem, the operator was able to identify and fix the unnecessary energy consumption in this room, reducing avg. daily energy use by 9.5kWh.

The Result?

Thanks to Utopi Data, the site team were able to solve the issue and created monthly savings of:

Cost Saving: £73.63

Energy Reduction: 294.5kWh

Carbon Avoidance: 36.8kg C02e

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