Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Sourcing Renewables  -  December 3, 2020

Most companies are planning to invest in energy projects in 2021, survey finds

A new survey conducted by Johnson Controls found that more than half of organizations plan to increase investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart building technology next year, with 85% claiming that reducing energy costs was a highly important driver of investment.

The company’s annual Energy Efficiency Indicator survey found that while most participants saw reducing energy costs as a very or extremely important driver of investment, approximately 76% believe that protecting the health and safety of occupants during emergencies was a very or extremely important driver of investment. Additionally, 33% said they plan to invest in the integration of building technology systems with distributed energy resources and 70% of organizations are very or extremely likely to have at least one nearly zero, net zero or carbon positive facility in the next ten years.

Funding for facility improvements in 2020 increasingly came from internal capital budgets (71%), energy services agreements (24%) and economic stimulus and recovery funds (20%).

“The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to improve the health and safety of buildings, particularly by increasing their ability to operate under different conditions, both planned and unforeseen,” Clay Nesler, vice president of global energy and sustainability at Johnson Controls, said in a statement. “Though the pandemic has altered how people are investing in their buildings, occupant health and energy efficiency continue to be top of mind and we anticipate these investments will be a priority in 2021 as more people return to shared spaces.”

This survey also found that two-thirds of organizations are very or extremely likely to have one or more facilities able to operate off the grid in the next ten years. This year, 63% of organizations invested in onsite renewable energy.

Many companies surveyed by Johnson Controls also expressed a new interest in updating their indoor air quality systems, driven by air filtration concerns brought up by Covid-19 and its way of transmission. Of these companies, 79% have already or are planning to increase air filtration, three-quarters have already or are planning to install an air treatment system and 72 percent have already or are planning to increase outdoor air ventilation rates.

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