As the PBSA sector continues to balance student experience with increasingly ambitious sustainability targets, Prefect Controls has witnessed the strongest start to its financial year ever, with a growing demand for its intelligent building technology.
Through its Irus ecoSystem, Prefect enables accommodation providers to create healthier, more comfortable living environments while significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. By integrating room controls, occupancy intelligence, environmental monitoring, energy/water management, maintenance reporting, and resident engagement into a single platform, operators gain real-time visibility of building performance and student wellbeing indicators.
Recent sector trends show students are placing greater importance on both wellbeing and environmental responsibility when choosing accommodation. Intelligent buildings can support these expectations by maintaining comfortable conditions, identifying issues before they impact residents, reducing energy waste, and providing students with greater transparency over their environmental footprint.
Research shows student wellbeing has surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time, with almost three-quarters of students saying they are confident about living independently. As expectations around comfort and community continue to grow, accommodation providers are looking to technology to create environments that actively support the student experience.
With accommodation quality now playing a significant role in university choice, operators are under pressure to deliver consistently high standards of comfort and building performance. Intelligent building technologies help provide the visibility and responsiveness needed to meet this.
“Student expectations continue to evolve, today’s residents want accommodation that’s comfortable, sustainable, and responsive to their needs. Our technology enables operators to deliver on all three while improving operational efficiency.”
Adrian Barber – Marketing Manager, Prefect Controls
Sustainability is no longer viewed solely as an environmental objective. Recent research from Cushman & Wakefield found that 82% of investors consider sustainability a strategic priority, increasing the importance of technologies that can provide real-time building performance data and support carbon reduction targets.
“As operators prepare for the next academic year, digital infrastructure is becoming an important factor in creating resilient, future-ready student communities. Our systems help PBSA providers optimise building performance, support ESG objectives, and enhance the resident experience throughout their stay.”
“Progressive operators and asset managers have beaten a path to our door to adopt a data-driven approach to resident experience, and building management, with a focus on the long-term. They see building intelligence systems as a critical tool to optimise asset performance, with technology designed to better understand student needs, enhance operational efficiency and ultimately increase asset worth.”
Adrian Barber – Marketing Manager, Prefect Controls
With three decades of experience in student accommodation technology, Prefect continues to work with leading accommodation providers across the UK to create smarter, safer, and more sustainable places for students to live.
