Survey says: Lighting expected to get more economical in the next decade

Fifty-two percent of building managers plan to make capital expenditures and 60%  plan to make operating budget investments in energy efficiency improvements over the next twelve months. So says a survey of more than 1,400 decision-makers across North America responsible for managing commercial buildings and their energy use.

Conducted in March of 2010, the Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) surveyed CEOs, CFOs, real estate leaders, and facility managers from organizations ranging from small businesses to global corporations across a variety of industry sectors. Among these decision makers, lighting retrofits were the most popular energy efficiency measure over last 12 months. Data indicates that 72% have switched to energy efficient lighting and 40% have installed occupancy or daylight sensors.

Fewer respondents are considering renewable technologies in construction projects. While solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal are the onsite renewable energy technologies considered most often in new construction or retrofit building projects, the survey indicates a drop in all renewable technologies being considered. Still, 31% of respondents are considering solar electric, 20% are considering solar thermal, and 13% are considering wind.

Looking ahead, North American business leaders have varying expectations of clean energy technologies. When asked to select three technologies expected to see the greatest improvement in performance-to-price ratio over the next ten years, lighting (51%) and smart building (44%) technologies were top-of-mind.

A summary of the report can be found here:

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:V4SdoRzFKrsJ:johnsoncontrols.mediaroom.com/file.php/5496/Johnson%2BControls_Energy%2BEfficiency%2BIndicator%2B2010%2BNorth%2BAmerica_+Energy+Efficiency+Indicator+johnson+controls&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShtqYOcTKQW9kGwnBW5cfOnTb4609zNsAk3b08W443i3oasi_zcwQR8NNKVfNO2VrFlvgXheBi5fdNLB4E3vGbmLNOQZVmrjvfklx7EEDSyZ3_vI7LODCqjPpsBP9eVjQhxF80M&sig=AHIEtbTYdYWYHdbK5pQtyvGU1QxgtOjHvA