How companies are using body heat sensors to make offices more efficient and hospitable

CNBC ^ | 07/22/2025 | Diana Olick

[BenLurkin]

As more and more employees return to the office, by choice or by force, large companies are more interested than ever in understanding how they use the space. The pandemic fundamentally changed how and where people work, and even in the return-to-office dynamic, there is a greater focus on how to best utilize and monetize office space, as well as make it more energy-efficient.

To that end, some companies are using body heat. Butlr, a 6-year-old, San Francisco-based startup that was a spinoff of MIT Media Lab, leverages body temperature technology to understand how humans act and interact in the office without using cameras. In other words, it’s anonymous.

Sensors placed around the office space record the heat and then incorporate AI to look at every aspect of physical interactions. That includes occupancy, foot traffic, frequency and location of meetings, areas that are unoccupied or crowded and the impact on heating and cooling systems. But it goes beyond that.

...

Companies use the data to make decisions about layout and design, retrofits, hybrid work schedules, maintenance, cleaning schedules and lease negotiations.

[BenLurkin]

Used to be they’d just chain us to our cubicle.

[yelostar]

No more thermostat battles 😆

[Tell It Right]

IMHO this makes a good argument for cooling and heating with mini splits. During the summer if a certain zone has a lot of heat that zone's AC will run more than a zone will less heat.

I wanted mini splits for my home but couldn't because too much of my downstairs is in the ground (no place for condensate drip to run down to). So I went with a variable-speed heat pump, which is hands down better than the standard AC and heat I used to have. I now also have heat strips for the times it gets too cold outside for the heat pump (yes that happens even in Alabama LOL). If you don't have solar I'd suggest a gas furnace for the cold weather. But the variable speed heat pump for heating and cooling in all but the extreme cold seems to do well at saving me money.

[T.B. Yoits]

Stay away from Stinky.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My Dad was a Mechanical Engineer and was in charge of many large office buildings full of mainly women who were either too hot or too cold or both on any given day, or every two minutes.

He put out a memo to these workers and told them all to bring a sweater to work and hang it on the back of their desk chair. If they were COLD - put ON the sweater! If they were HOT - take OFF the sweater.

He also ended up having to lock down the thermostats, and they would still break the plastic covers over them on a regular basis and mess with the temps.

The Army never cared if I was too hot or too cold, LOL!

[Myrddin]

My last physical office between June 2009 and September 2014 was "furnished" with a rejected table from a conference room and two "ready to discard" chairs from the furniture pool. The physical office was a necessity in a "closed area" for DoD work. Once I finished my work there, I returned to my home office in Idaho and never had another "company office" again. The only company property in my home office was a corporate laptop. My desk, chair, large monitor, keyboard, mouse, KVM, network switches, router, fiber optic internet service and kilowatt infrared heater are all on my dime. Ditto for power, heating/cooling and cell phone service. What I provide for myself in my home office was always orders of magnitude better than a company office and computing equipment. No commuting either. WFH is MUCH better than the corporate office. The only excuse for being physically on company property is the need to work in a closed classified environment.

[Myrddin]

When I purchased my current home (1984 build) in Idaho, it had a heat pump. It was completely inadequate for a 3900 sq ft home (3 floors). I replaced the furnace with a 95% efficient natural gas forced-air furnace and new air conditioning evaporator/condenser. It is much more efficient, yet still struggles putting the basement at 65 degrees with the top floor at 80 degrees. Winter temperatures range from -21F to +35F. Summer temperatures range from 55F to 103F. Some days straddle my preferred 77F enough to need heater and air conditioning in the same 24 hour period. Spring and Fall have the most moderate temperatures. Some days neither heating nor cooling is necessary.

[Svartalfiar]

He also ended up having to lock down the thermostats, and they would still break the plastic covers over them on a regular basis and mess with the temps.

leave the probes out but run the controllers into an IT closet or the attic.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Well, Dad died in 2020 and this was 40 years ago, so... hopefully some Young Mechanical Engineer will see your advice. ;)

[GingisK]

It is easy: The honchos get the big offices and everybody else is herded into the cube farm.

[GingisK]

Some of us can make much bigger clouds.