Johnson Controls survey: Energy savings and incentives driving investment decisions

New York -- Energy cost savings, government/utility incentives and rebates, and enhanced brand or public image ranked as the top drivers of energy-efficiency decision-making in the United States and Canada, according to a global survey of building owners and operators and facility managers by Johnson Controls.



"Building owners are investing in energy efficiency because they recognize the financial payback," said Dave Myers, president of Johnson Controls, Building Efficiency. "This year's survey demonstrates there's a change underway. The mantra for commercial real estate owners used to be location, location, location – now it's becoming location, efficiency, location."



Among U.S. and Canadian respondents, interest in energy efficiency jumped 20% from 2011 to 2012, according to the 2012 Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator. Sixty-six percent of U.S., and Canadian executives reported in 2011 that energy management was very or extremely important to their organizations, and in 2012 that number increased to 86%. Seventy percent said they were paying more attention to energy in 2012 than in 2011.



Among all regions, the United States/Canada had the largest proportion of organizations investing in energy efficiency (74%). However, only 25% had invested in renewable energy, the lowest among all global regions priorities,



In other U.S./Canadian findings:

• Forty-six percent of business executives planned to increase spending in the next 12 months, while 39% expected investment to stay the same.


• The top three energy-efficiency measures adopted in the past 12 months included: lighting improvements (78%), HVAC and/or controls improvements (77%), and water-efficiency improvements (45%).

The 2012 survey is the sixth global EEI survey conduced by Johnson Controls through its Institute for Building Efficiency.