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Why building automation is both a threat and an opportunity
I just received an in-depth briefing from executives at Johnson Controls (JC), the $34 billion multinational giant that is now moving aggressively into demand response.
The update helped me realize that smart buildings are poised for explosive growth. That coming upsurge is both a threat and opportunity for utilities.
Let me see if I can summarize the trend. Then I’ll tell you more about Johnson Controls to illustrate how one of the big players intends to own a piece of this market.
There is a huge stock of commercial buildings ripe for energy efficiency (EE) and demand response (DR). The nation’s approximately five million commercial buildings are responsible for 18% of total annual energy consumption in the U.S. And office buildings have the highest energy expenditures of all commercial building types – $15.8 billion per year.
