April 30, 2008—In light of skyrocketing energy costs and increased concerns about the environment, executives are increasing their focus on energy efficiency investments, according to new research.
Johnson Controls, a global creator of smart environments, commissioned the extensive survey of 1,500 North American executives, which was conducted in March 2008 and included members of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE)
According to the second annual Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator survey, nearly three-quarters (72%) of organizations are paying more attention to energy efficiency than they were just a year ago. However, the percentage of companies expecting to make energy efficiency improvements, as well as their planned investment over the next year, has remained constant.
According to the report, the most significant growth in energy efficiency measures include replacing inefficient equipment before the end of its useful life (41%, up 13% from 2007) and switching to energy efficient lighting (78%, up 11%). Also, 88% claim that energy efficiency is a design priority in construction and retrofit projects, up 11% from just a year ago.
For 53% of respondents (up 5%), environmental responsibility is an equal or greater motivator for investing in energy efficiency than cost reduction, and 17% (up from 13%) cited environmental responsibility as the stronger motivator.
As in 2007, executives responsible for larger facilities (500,000+ square feet) place more importance on energy management. A significantly higher proportion of them (84% vs. 56% for all respondents) plan to invest in energy efficiency measures in the coming year, and they are willing to tolerate a longer payback period for those investments.
For the first time this year, the survey reached out to the healthcare facilities industry to gauge its attitudes and actions about energy efficiency. Among the results, healthcare executives are more willing to invest in energy efficiency using capital expenditures than the general sample (67% vs. 56%), and they are motivated much more by cost savings (59% vs. 47%).
