According to a survey carried out this year by Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI), interest and investment in energy efficiency are at an all-time high! The survey, of more than 1,200 facility and energy management executives in the United States, Brazil, China, Germany, and India shows that 72% of the respondents are anticipating increased investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy over the next 12 months.
Similarly, 50% of the surveyed organizations said they are paying more attention to energy efficiency today than they did a year ago and although cost reduction remains as a primary driver, the organizations are also increasingly considering energy security, customer and employee attraction, greenhouse gas reduction, enhanced reputation, government policy, and investor expectations when making investment decisions.
“Energy efficiency is the center of a major transformation of our buildings, energy systems and urban infrastructure,” said Bill Jackson, president, Building Efficiency at Johnson Controls. “Investment in smart, sustainable, and resilient buildings is key to increasing urban efficiency and delivering its many social, environmental, and economic benefits.”
Nevertheless, respondents report significant barriers to investment such as lack of funding, insufficient payback, savings uncertainty and a lack of technical expertise.
Smart Buildings, Smart Energy
The survey also showed that the organization that have most of their facilities located in urban areas are more likely to invest in smart building and smart energy technology. Accordingly, 64% of organizations in urban areas have invested in building management systems, while >50% have invested in the integration of building management systems with lighting, security, life safety, or other building systems. Additionally, 39% of the surveyed organizations in urban areas have invested in on-site renewable energy and 24% in non-renewable distributed generation.
Compared to the surveys carried out in 2010 and 2013, this year there was a general increase in the organizations’ energy efficiency involvement:
- 78% of global organizations have already certified, or plan to certify, at least one green building, an increase of 52% compared to 2010 survey.
- 42% of the organizations are willing to pay a premium to lease space in a certified green building versus 15% in 2013.
- 80% of the organizations plan to achieve nearly zero, net zero, or positive energy status for at least one of their facilities versus 49 percent in 2013, an increase of 63% in three years.
To read more about the survey please visit the summary report of the survey available online.
Through our educational programmes, START2ACT will contribute to the increase of the global energy efficiency predicted by Johnson Control as our mission is to help young SMEs and startups save energy and cut costs at work by introducing simple yet effective energy efficiency measure into their daily routines.
Read more about START2ACT activities here and sign up for our activities here.
