Johnson: smart buildings key to net zero

According to Johnson Controls and Forrester Consulting research, smart building technologies are essential for achieving worldwide net zero targets. In a survey of 3,500 building owners and operators from 25 different nations and 18 different industries, it was discovered that partners are crucial to achieving 2030 net zero goals and that sustainability is widely regarded as the top business priority.

Decarbonizing the built environment is one of the quickest ways to achieve net zero targets globally, with buildings accounting for about 40 % of global emissions, according to a World Green Business Council study. Building decarbonization is crucial for some businesses that have 2030 carbon reduction goals in order to achieve them.

The Power of Green Buildings: Accelerating the Net Zero Journey

Buildings are the important enabler, according to Johnson Controls Chairman and CEO George Oliver,” for leaders looking to quickly advance their net zero journey and make a real impact on global carbon reduction.” This new study demonstrates that decision-makers all over the world and understand that green buildings are greater for the balance sheet and that outside partners are crucial for measuring environmental impact and building optimization. There are solutions available today that can eliminate the need for up-front funding, digitalize a building’s systems to offer useful data, electrify them to speed up the energy transition, and increase cash flow. As we work to reduce carbon emissions and respond to a changing climate, these are quick fixes that we can all adopt right away.

Sustainability is one of their three major business priorities, according to a survey of almost 3,500 respondents from 25 different nations and 18 different industries. Two thirds of decision-makers on sustainability initiatives, especially a subset of 1,500 respondents, say they are completely on track to meet their carbon reduction goals, while one second realize they need to step up their efforts to achieve 2030 net zero goals.

The Role of Smart Buildings and Collaborative Partnerships

According to respondents, smart buildings are crucial for assisting their organizations in accelerating sustainability initiatives (69 %), and adding or improving building automation (56 %), as well as digital technologies to maximize energy use (42 %), are among the most significant areas for investing in sustainability.

There are technologies that can digitalize a building’s systems, increase energy, emissions, cost savings, and yet produce net-energy-positive solutions. To realize these advantages, 10 % of respondents have already fully integrated their building systems and equipment. The vast majority of leaders look for partners who can offer a digital platform across sites and use cases that are simple for cross-departmental teams to use (67 %) and integrated into all building systems (70 %). These collaborations address two major issues facing these leaders: 73 % of sustainability leaders claim that their organizations lack the technical know-how to optimize building systems based on the data gathered, and 40 % say they lack internal capacity to assess their environmental impact.

“Buildings must be decarbonized in order for the planet to decompose.” According to Katie McGinty, vice president and chief sustainability and exterior relations officer at Johnson Controls, this study demonstrates that sustainability is now a major business priority and that businesses are actively pursuing their net zero targets while constantly looking for partners to help speed up those efforts. ” Deploying smart building technology quickly with partners not only reduces waste but also strengthens the bottom line.” Additionally, it’s becoming more and more of a regulation requirement, stakeholder expectation, and criteria for luring talent. Leaders can take immediate action to change the climate by implementing smarter, more green building solutions.

Another significant findings include:

• Sustainability is becoming a crucial factor in all business operations. Decision-makers in the fields of security, sustainability, and building environment systems were all concerned with increasing operational efficiency while doing so responsibly.
• Since Forrester conducted this study in 2021, reports on customer-required reporting, public reports, and supply chain compliance reporting have all grown significantly over the past two years. Reporting is one of the biggest challenges for respondents. The ability to only track and report on carbon emissions once every year or quarter is holding back progress for 53 % of the population.
• By offering them actionable recommendations to reduce downtime and maximize efficiencies before losses occur, about one-third of respondents say they anticipate AI will have a major impact on improving sustainability in company-owned spaces.
• One third of their leaders note that even with a small budget cut, their organization would be able to maintain its sustainability goals, while another two-thirds say they would need assistance keeping their sustainability strategies resilient. Organizations need proper partners and technology solution providers to find opportunities for short- and mid-term savings, such as energy efficiency solutions and water and waste reduction, in order to account for factors outside of their control.