Key takeaways
What property managers can take from smart building data
- Water leaks are the risk Cirkuit was built around. Adam has seen operations teams get a sensor alert for a failed pump seal in a mechanical room and shut it down within 5 minutes.
- Insurers are starting to respond. Adam says Cirkuit has seen reduced deductibles for buildings with leak detection, and a large Canadian brokerage is looking at discounts for condo buildings that install it.
- Simple occupancy data goes a long way. A small sensor on a washroom door counts daily visits, which shows when hybrid offices sit empty and where cleaning and HVAC schedules can change.
- Most Canadian buildings are older than the ones with built-in smart systems. Wireless sensors give those properties the same visibility without running new cabling.
- Start small. Adam recommends solving one problem with one use case, proving the value, and then adding the next.
About the guest
AL
Adam Ludgate
Co-Founder, Cirkuit
Adam co-founded Cirkuit, a smart building company started in 2021 that installs wireless sensor networks in commercial, industrial, retail, and multi-family buildings. He studied computer science with a minor in economics and worked in the software industry before Cirkuit.
Episode summary
In this episode
Jared Sarbit talks with Adam Ludgate, co-founder of Cirkuit, a smart building company that installs wireless sensors in office towers, malls, warehouses, and multi-family buildings. The sensors watch for water leaks, temperature swings, open doors, motion, power use, and air quality, and alert the operations team in real time.
Adam explains how Cirkuit started with water leak detection for condos, why moving the insurance industry takes years of data, and how early alerts have stopped floods before they reached elevators and tenant spaces. He also covers using sensor data for ESG reporting and energy savings, and how AI can turn that data into a short list of issues to fix.
Worth a listen for property managers and operations teams running older buildings without modern building systems.
Chapters
- 0:00Episode preview
- 1:19Introducing Adam Ludgate and Cirkuit
- 3:31How water leaks and insurance started Cirkuit
- 8:55Thinking about ROI like an economist
- 11:53Silent problems property managers miss
- 13:38Catching a mechanical room flood in minutes
- 14:54What insurers think of sensor data
- 17:10Using sensor data for ESG and energy savings
- 22:35Counting washroom traffic to plan cleaning
- 24:22Multi-family vs commercial adoption
- 28:58Where AI fits on top of sensor data
- 32:43The smartest first step for older buildings
Jump to a chapter (12)
- 0:00Episode preview
- 1:19Introducing Adam Ludgate and Cirkuit
- 3:31How water leaks and insurance started Cirkuit
- 8:55Thinking about ROI like an economist
- 11:53Silent problems property managers miss
- 13:38Catching a mechanical room flood in minutes
- 14:54What insurers think of sensor data
- 17:10Using sensor data for ESG and energy savings
- 22:35Counting washroom traffic to plan cleaning
- 24:22Multi-family vs commercial adoption
- 28:58Where AI fits on top of sensor data
- 32:43The smartest first step for older buildings
From the conversation
Transcript excerpts
Anyone who has a condo or knows someone who has a condo has a water leak story.
Adam LudgatePlay from 0:03
Things where pump seals might have gone in a mechanical room and it’s gushing a lot of water… the operations team gets the alert and they go and look at it and shut it down within 5 minutes.
Adam LudgatePlay from 13:46
Just start with something really small… So try one thing, put in one use case, solve one problem and learn and see how that works.
Adam LudgatePlay from 33:01
Managing an older building in Calgary or Edmonton?
We’ll walk the building with you and send a written cleaning scope and price. Free, no obligation.
Read the conversation
Full episode transcript
Show transcript
Paste the edited transcript here.
FAQ
Smart building sensor questions
What does Cirkuit do?
Cirkuit is a smart building company that installs wireless sensor networks in commercial, industrial, retail, and multi-family buildings. The sensors watch for water leaks, temperature changes, open doors, motion, power use, and air quality, and alert the operations team in real time.
Can leak detection sensors lower building insurance costs?
They are starting to. Adam Ludgate says Cirkuit has seen reduced deductibles for buildings with leak detection, and a large Canadian brokerage is looking at discounts for condo buildings that install it. He expects broad insurance changes to take years of data.
Where should an older building start with smart sensors?
Start with one problem, such as water leaks in mechanical rooms, prove the value, then add the next use case. Adam says he has almost never seen a building install sensors everywhere at once.
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