Why Building Controls are the Future of Energy Efficiency: Current Trends and Your Business

As access to information about energy efficiency increases, trends continue to sway toward the use of cleaner, smarter energy across many industries. This tendency toward choosing more efficient energy methods can be experienced anecdotally at the local level, but is also recorded each year in Johnson Controls’ Energy Efficiency Indicator Survey.

For the past 12 years, this report has provided invaluable information for energy professionals and the organizations that they serve, demonstrating broad, current perspectives on energy efficiency across industries. At EarthTronics, we download and discuss this information  to better equip ourselves with the knowledge to better serve each business and team seeking to increase performance, decrease waste and save money.

Increased Investments in Efficient Energy Sources & Renewable Energy

So what do the most recent numbers tell us? That interest and investment in energy efficiency and smart building technology continues to grow. In the United States alone, 77 percent of respondents surveyed said they were paying more attention to this issue, while 57 percent of these organizations noted that they plan to increase their investments in renewable and more efficient energy sources.

This means that our clients are educating themselves on the desperate need for energy efficiency, and the many cost-saving benefits this can provide. Globally, interest in this type of investment has grown as well, increasing from 58 to 59 percent from 2017 to 2018.

Building Controls & Systems Continue to Grow Incrementally

What’s perhaps the most interesting are the measures that organizations are taking to increase their energy efficiency. Among features like heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and lighting improvements, the category of building control improvements saw one of the highest percentages of growth, increasing from 55 to 68 percent since last year. “The percentage of organizations investing in building controls in the US has steadily increased since 2016 with the actual exceeding predictions for the past two years,” says the survey.

This number has sky-rocketed since 2016, when only 36 percent of respondents planned to invest in building controls in the subsequent 12 months.

The top categories for building controls improvements:

• fire and life safety
• security system
• building management systems
• lighting systems
• smart building equipment integration.

What’s amazing about these numbers is that respondents are already showing a willingness to invest their time and money in energy efficient features for their businesses. The numbers also tell us that 22 percent of respondents both locally and globally note that their top barrier to investment is lack of funding to pay for improvements.

Small Investments Still Improve Efficiency

But just by taking small steps, even organizations with limited funds can begin to integrate building control improvements into their energy efficiency strategy.

For example, EarthTronics Type A “Plug & Play” used on existing ballast and Type B Direct Wire Linear LEDS are designed for nearly any fixture, and don’t require an electrician or outside labor to install. Energy savings of more than 30% from these 16- to 18-watt lamps provide a quick return on investment. The long 50,000-hour service life provides years of maintenance-free, bottom-line energy savings, and these lamps are DLC listed and may be accepted for utility rebates in many markets. Simply change the lamp for an immediate impact on a building’s energy use, without the need for expensive retrofits.

Design Enhancements for Sensor Integration

In addition to the lamps mentioned above, we manufacture a variety of LED light fixtures that have been enhanced to allow for easy installation/addition of sensors and technology for automation and connectivity.

What’s Your Next Efficiency Move?

So whether your organization is in 53 percent of respondents who plan to achieve green building certification within the next year or the 54 percent that reported owning a facility that will operate off the grid for the next ten years, you’re likely within the 68 percent who cited resilience as the most important factor when considering future energy and building infrastructure investments.

Wherever you are in the process, the 2018 Energy Efficiency Survey shows continued growth in the interest of energy efficiency measures—specifically building controls improvements. We invite you to review recent applications and client case studies to see how they’ve increased energy efficiency here. 

To learn more about how EarthTronics can help you take the first of many steps toward increased efficiency and savings connect with us today.

To download the Johnson Controls 2018 Energy Efficiency Survey, click here.