Green Building Survey

MILWAUKEE — Johnson Controls released its fourth annual Energy Efficiency Indicator, providing strong support for a rebounding construction industry and identifying cost savings as the number one reason for building green commercial facilities.

 

A survey of 1,435 North American executives and managers responsible for making investments and managing energy in commercial buildings revealed that planned investment in energy efficiency is expected to rebound in 2010.

 

Following a decline last year, the survey found, 52 percent (up from 46 percent) are planning to make capital investments in energy efficiency and 60 percent (up from 55 percent) are planning to make operating budget expenditures in efficiency programs over the next 12 months. A significant number of the business leaders surveyed (38 percent) said that the largest barrier to making energy-efficient investments is limited to capital availability.

 

According to this year’s survey, 65 percent of business leaders say they are paying more attention to energy efficiency than they were one year ago, and 84 percent of respondents say that energy efficiency is a priority for new construction and retrofit projects planning for this year.

 

“This research helps our members to compare their priorities and energy management efforts with those of their peers,” says Donald Young, vice president of communications for the International Facility Management Association. “This year’s results demonstrate that workplace professionals not only play a major role in controlling operational costs, but also are among the most important decision makers when it comes to managing an organization’s carbon footprint and public image.”

 

The most important factor influencing energy-efficiency decisions is energy cost savings, with 97 percent of respondents identifying it as significant. Sixty-four percent of those polled expect energy prices to rise in 2010. Overall, the average expectation of respondents is a seven percent increase in the combined price of energy over the next 12 months.

 

The next most important factors influencing energy-efficiency decisions are enhanced public image (63 percent), government and utility incentives (62 percent) and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (62 percent). The last is up from 57 percent that considered greenhouse gas reduction an important factor in 2009.

 

When asked what specific energy-efficiency improvements have been implemented over the past 12 months, the most popular are those with low capital cost and/or a rapid return on investment. The survey shows that 72 percent switched to energy-efficient lighting, 63 percent trained facilities staff, 61 percent educated building occupants to save money, 56 percent made set point adjustments, 40 percent installed occupancy or daylight sensors and 33 percent upgraded building controls.

 

The Energy Efficiency Indicator tracks energy management priorities, practices and investment plans among decision makers responsible for commercial buildings and their energy use. A total of 1,435 respondents took the survey this year, 90 percent of whom were from the private sector and 10 percent from the public sector. Respondents included C-level executives (28 percent), vice presidents and general managers (30 percent) and facility managers (25 percent). Of those polled, 60 percent spend more than $100,000 per year to power their facilities.

 

Johnson Controls is currently conducting a similar survey in China, France, Germany, India, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world, with results to be released this summer. Read about the entire report at www.johnsoncontrols.com.