Backpack is a comprehensive solution designed to digitize the built world. By collecting data from documents, integrations, surveys, and annual site visits, Backpack aggregates and centralizes building information, ranging from property characteristics, leasing data, utilities, equipment, real-time data, capital plans, and more. This digital foundation powers built-in tools like automated Energy Star scoring and compliance tracking, while providing the insights needed to effectively run decarbonization programs, prioritize capital projects, lower insurance premiums, and enable Backpack’s Marketplace of products and services to offer cash-back rewards.
Backpack was born out of an acquisition of Bractlet in 2021, a software company that developed the industry’s most advanced energy analytics and modeling technology. Motivated by the philosophy that accurate data is the key for driving change, their team is focused on arming the built world with comprehensive, verified, and accessible property data – transitioning the industry away from the days when data sits siloed onsite, scattered across various spreadsheets, leaving you with more questions than answers.
With digitized and up-to-date information, Backpack is empowering stakeholders to leverage robust information to implement sustainability initiatives, provide intelligence for better planning, effectively track results, and tap into opportunities that increase profit.
While utilities and policymakers promote “demand flexibility” as a simple way for buildings to cut costs and support the grid, the reality is far messier: siloed systems, manual playbooks, and misaligned incentives make coordination far harder than theory suggests. Emerging solutions—like aggregators handling grid relationships, automation providers standardizing control, and readiness assessments that reveal real system capabilities—are making progress, but success today comes from solving specific pieces of the puzzle rather than achieving full multi-system optimization.
Poor cellular coverage is the number one tenant complaint in many commercial buildings, and DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) is often proposed as the solution. But with costs ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, building owners need to understand what they're really getting. Our panel explores the critical questions every owner should ask before investing in DAS technology in our latest Nexus APAC building owner meetup.
A practical guide for facility managers of small commercial buildings on why choosing the right partner before the product is the key to implementing affordable, simple, and scalable building automation systems.
In mission-critical facilities where downtime is the most important KPI, this editorial explores how compliance dashboards, fault detection, and resilient BAS design help facility managers stay online and ahead of problems.
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