Johnson Controls Uses Smart Tech to Cut Building Emissions
Buildings contribute to nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet they often remain overlooked in climate discussions.
Katie McGinty, Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer at Johnson Controls, sees this as both a challenge and an opportunity.
With a long-standing history of 140 years and a workforce spanning 100,000 employees across 150 countries, Johnson Controls specialises in converting buildings from energy burdens to smart, sustainable assets.
"The climate is telling us that until we decarbonise those buildings, we can't effectively decarbonise the climate," she explains. "The great news is that we have a trifecta of technologies today that drives those buildings from being a burden on the climate and the balance sheet to being net zero or even net energy positive."
This trio of efficiency, electrification and digitalisation is altering organisational perspectives on their physical spaces.
Proper implementation of these technologies can autonomously transform buildings to support operations and even generate income by selling back electricity to the grid.
Johnson Controls is integrating this vision within its own infrastructure, nearing 90% completion of its science-based emissions reduction targets.
"The climate is telling us that until we decarbonise those buildings, we can't effectively decarbonise the climate.”
A noteworthy example is their factory in Norman, Oklahoma, their second-largest energy consumer, which has adopted emission-reducing technologies to achieve a 43% reduction in emissions while saving nearly a million dollars annually in operating costs.
This was achieved without disrupting critical operations and maintaining "nine nines" of uptime in a top-tier factory.
"What we did was to lean into two things: our technologies that drive emission reductions and then frankly, we hired ourselves in 'as-a-service' partnership mode," Katie says. "We minimised or eliminated any need for upfront capital costs and on the backend, we delivered significant operating cost reductions."
Using energy more efficiently
For many years, energy efficiency has struggled with being difficult to present engagingly.
"One of the challenges in the energy efficiency space for many decades is that it was hard to make the promise and the possibility tangible because, let's face it, you're talking about achieving the absence of something," Katie explains. "Technology has now emerged that delivers that wow factor."
An example of an innovative application is a heat pump installation in a Canadian community that captured waste heat to meet 78% of the heating needs, thereby showcasing the potential of these technologies in real-world situations.
Existing buildings and retrofits
Retrofitting existing structures presents a substantial opportunity for cost savings and emission reductions.
The World Economic Forum estimates that 80% of today's buildings will still be operational in 2050; in urban areas, these structures account for up to 60% of carbon emissions.
Johnson Controls focuses on addressing inefficiencies in older buildings to achieve improved environmental and financial outcomes.
Katie emphasises that while technological solutions exist, buildings typically don't attract executive attention until problems arise.
This is something she intends to change, encouraging executives to recognise that their physical infrastructure can be strategic assets rather than mere operational expenses.
"The bricks and mortar of an organisation aren't typically what is capturing the attention and imagination of the boardroom.”
Managing data centre growth
The fast-paced growth of data centres raises challenges related to energy, water, space and noise.
Johnson Controls addresses these through strategic partnerships and innovative technologies.
Notably, it has re-engineered cooling solutions to operate efficiently at higher temperatures, saving 40% of energy.
Adaptations from submarine technology have led to the development of smaller compressors, allowing for more adaptable data centre designs.
This approach aligns with the push to integrate computing heat with district heating systems for spaces like schools and hospitals, exemplifying a symbiotic relationship between technology, energy efficiency and community needs.
The integration of AI and smart sensor technologies further enables buildings to adjust their energy use dynamically, as shown in Johnson Controls' collaboration with Stanford University, leading to a 20% reduction in peak energy needs and substantial cost savings.
