In a recent study by Forrester Consulting, in collaboration with Johnson Controls, 90% of respondents said their building systems and equipment are not fully integrated and it’s costing them time, people and money. Lack of integration is causing 67% less efficiency, 62% less customer loyalty and 52% less revenue.
According to those in the know at Johnson Controls, this is where smart buildings truly show their value. When money talks, smart buildings listen. Smart buildings are designed to align with the financial objectives of a business, impact the bottom line and deliver measurable outcomes including:
1. Enhancing productivity
2. Driving smart, cost-saving operations
3. Delivering energy-efficiency with impactful investment
By leveraging advanced data collection and award-winning AI, businesses can integrate building systems and equipment, transform performance and deliver on these three outcomes.
1. Enhancing productivity
Employee productivity directly affects the company’s financial performance. That’s why it’s so critical to create a smart building environment that promotes better productivity and well-being.
By simply understanding how employees interact in and with the building, organisations can begin to capture real savings. According to Johnson Controls findings, we know that a 1% improvement in employee health, well-being and productivity from improved air quality carries a financial impact equivalent to the annual utility bill of an average building. Addressing indoor air quality can deliver up to 11% gains in productivity.
Smart buildings drive operational efficiency by having spaces that are flexible, rather than being permanent or fixed. This means spaces can be quickly reconfigured as needed to serve multiple purposes under one roof, be it for commerce, work, or entertainment. With integrated solutions, occupancy and equipment can be monitored to use to improve space utilisation, thereby improving the return on investment.
The company recommends harnessing solutions such as Openblue and FM:Systems to improve portfolio and facility performance, while boosting productivity in a building. Companies surveyed by Forrester and Johnson Controls anticipate a smart building will help them by improving productivity (77%), improve morale (79%) and become more attractive to the best talent by (80%).
2. Driving smart, cost-saving operations
Of the companies surveyed, those who have completed their smart building goals have already seen a 41% improvement in operational efficiency. Having real-time data visibility across assets, people and processes allows businesses to make more intelligent and proactive decisions. This leads to lower costs for operations, maintenance and throughout the life of the assets.
In buildings, uptime is critical. Johnson Controls provides digital services which combine technology, advisory and condition-based maintenance to make assets perform at their best, with less costly downtime for repairs or replacement. Using technology powered by data and AI, Openblue Service Experts can now detect chiller faults 48 hours before they happen.
Openblue Enterprise Manager gathers data from across a building or buildings and presents it in one place. With access to an active dashboard, 24/7 data monitoring and live reporting, building managers can easily identify building performance gaps, see savings opportunities and bring issues to light, all through a unified, remote command centre.
3. Delivering energy-efficiency with impactful investment
Smart buildings can save much more than just time and money – they can also save energy and cut emissions. Heating, cooling and ventilation are responsible for over 50% of energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings. Through automated energy management, users can see more accurately where and how energy is being used in a building, make targeted changes and drive savings.
A simple starting point is to understand a building’s energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption in order to drive substantial impact. Digital solutions like Openblue can monitor the live activity of building and allow for:
● Monitoring of energy performance gaps
● Pinpointing cost reduction opportunities
● Identifying underperforming systems
● Calculating operational variances
● Simulation of central plant performance to understand the facility’s savings potential
And these opportunities are not exclusive to new buildings. By upgrading old building systems and adding building automation controls, companies are seeing the biggest improvements on efficiency, making a significant impact on environmental sustainability goals. In a recent example, Johnson Controls partnered with Cobb County Government to upgrade more than a dozen heavily used facilities, significantly reducing emissions and cutting utility costs by more than $2 million. Smart buildings are increasingly critical to firms in the battle to win, serve and retain customers.
