Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator sets benchmark for changing landscape MILWAUKEE, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Results from a first-time survey of North American business leaders indicate they expect energy prices to continue to rise, and plan to invest in energy efficiency measures to help fight rising costs. Despite the trend toward sustainability, executives cite a desire to decrease energy expenditures within their organizations as a greater motivator than environmental responsibility. Those are some of the findings of the research commissioned by Johnson Controls, Inc., a global leader in creating smart environments. The Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator research identified individuals from a wide range of facilities and locations who were decision-makers for energy management issues within organizations and asked how they were responding to rising energy costs, defined as electricity and natural gas costs. Members from the International Facility Management Association were included as survey respondents. The research was conducted in March and released today. Johnson Controls plans to repeat the Energy Efficiency Indicator research annually. Just over half -- 52 percent -- of the executives surveyed say costs savings as either entirely or somewhat the driver for their decision to invest in energy efficiency measures. Thirty-five percent say cost savings and environmental responsibility are equal motivators, while only 13 percent cite environmental concern as the greater motivator. The executives appear to have reached a consensus that energy costs will continue to rise in the near future. Seventy-nine percent say they believe that electricity and natural gas prices will increase significantly during the next 12 months, with an average price hike of 13.25 percent expected. Consistent with the rising energy cost forecast, 62 percent say their companies are paying more attention to energy efficiency today than five years ago. As a result, they are acting on it. Almost 57 percent expect to make energy efficiency improvements using their capital budgets in the next 12 months, spending an average of 8 percent of those budgets. In addition, 64 percent anticipate using their operating budgets, allocating 6 percent to energy efficiency improvements.
