More than half of the facility management executives in a multi-national survey said that they will increase energy efficiency investments next year.
The 2017 Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey of more than 1,500 facility and management executives in the United States, Canada and 10 other countries found that 58% of respondents expect to spend more on efficiency in 2018. Cost reduction remained the key driver for investments globally, with 77% rating it as a very or extremely significant factor.
In the U.S. and Canada, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and energy security were the most significant drivers at 92% and 91%, respectively. As in previous surveys, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment was the most popular improvement made last year, reported by 75% of respondents.
Onsite renewable energy is the top planned investment with 57% of respondents saying they will invest in this area over the coming year. Energy storage is gaining momentum, too, with 48% of organizations planning to make such investments in the next year.
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