An Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey of more than 1,200 facility and energy management executives in the United States, Brazil, China, Germany and India has shown that interest and investment in energy efficiency are at an all-time high.

Fifty percent of respondents said their organisations are paying more attention to energy efficiency today than they did a year ago, with 72% anticipating increased investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy over the next 12 months. By comparison, 37% of global respondents in 2013 reported paying more attention to energy efficiency and 42 percent planned to increase investments.

The results of the survey were be released this year June 23 in Washington, DC at the Energy Efficiency Forum, co-sponsored by Johnson Controls and United States Energy Association.

Trend drivers

Although cost reduction remains the primary driver, organisations are also increasingly considering energy security, customer and employee attraction, greenhouse gas reduction, enhanced reputation, government policy and investor expectations when making investment decisions. Survey results show that 64% of US organisations now have an internal or publicly stated carbon reduction goal, compared to 41% in 2013.

“Energy efficiency is the centre of a major transformation of our buildings, energy systems and urban infrastructure,” notes 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.”

Neil Cameron, Area General Manager in Africa based in South Africa concurs with Bill Jackson that energy efficiency is an integral part of the transformation of the technology used to improve the infrastructure of buildings urban cooling systems. Cameron adds, “The progression of the extent of investment in energy efficiency is impressive and proves how critically important it is to ensure that organisations are using less energy and reducing costs.”

Barriers to implementation

As in the past, respondents report lack of funding, insufficient payback, savings uncertainty and a lack of technical expertise as the most significant barriers to investment. According to the survey, organisations operating larger portfolios of buildings are more likely to use internal capital for investments and are twice as likely to secure external financing or use energy services agreements to make energy-efficiency improvements.

Organisations with the majority of their facilities located in urban areas are more likely to invest in smart building and smart energy technology. In fact, 64% of organisations in urban areas have invested in building management systems, while more than 50% have invested in the integration of building management systems with lighting, security, life safety or other building systems. In addition, 39% of organisations in urban areas have invested in on-site renewable energy and 24% in non-renewable distributed generation. These organisations are also more likely to invest in energy storage and demand response technology.

To read a summary report, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.