Clay Nesler
Vice President, Global Energy and Sustainability, Johnson Controls, Inc.“Oil Surpasses $100+ a Barrel!”
It’s a common headline that sparks anxiety. But, does it spark anything else? The high price of energy is obviously having a profound effect on household budgets, discretionary spending and consumers’ psychology.

But what about businesses and other organizations – have rising energy prices affected any significant change in their operations, or in the ways in which they view investments in energy efficiency? Because if they have, it could conceivably contribute to long-term economic growth.

That’s what we’re trying to determine with our second annual Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator survey. We commissioned the first research in 2007, focusing on the ways in which companies and organizations in North America were responding to rising energy costs, what sort of payback they expected from investments in energy efficiency, to what extent investments in energy efficiency were motivated by concerns about the environment versus economics, and more.

Last year the research showed that just over half – 52 percent – of the executives surveyed said cost savings were either entirely or somewhat the driver for their decision to invest in energy efficiency measures.  Thirty-five percent said cost savings and environmental responsibility are equal motivators, and 13 percent cited environmental concern as the greater motivator.

This year we added a few more questions to the survey. We wanted to look more closely at the drivers of energy efficiency investments: What role does awareness/concerns about climate change play? How important are government incentives?

We also wondered whether higher energy costs are making businesses take renewable energy sources more seriously, and whether a desire to be certified “green” by a third-party organization is having an impact.

In response to these provocative questions, we received appropriately thought-provoking answers. We’re going to be announcing the results during a Webcast on April 14 at 10 a.m. Central. In addition to reporting the research findings, the Webcast will feature a panel discussion moderated by Joel Makower, co-founder and executive editor of Greener World Media, Inc.  He’ll discuss the findings with executives from different sectors who will describe the methods they are incorporating to help cope with rising energy prices, the operational and investment changes their organizations have made and plan to make. The panelists include:

·         Michael Feldman, deputy managing director of the Seattle-Tacoma Airport, which is aiming to be one of the greenest airports in the world
·         Stuart Carron, director, global facilities and real estate, for JohnsonDiversey, a manufacturer of industrial cleaning products that has strived to become more environmentally friendly
·         Steve McGuire, environmental marketing manager for Philips Lighting, a company that has helped pioneer more energy efficient lighting.

Their discussion promises to provide insights and even lessons about how to thrive in the face of rising energy costs. Please join us. Click here to register for this free Webcast, or go to http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=46411&regd=n

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

Name:
Email Address:
URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)