A survey of more than 1,150 executives and facility managers released this week reveals some fairly interesting details about how the industry is dealing (or plans to deal) with the rising cost of energy.
For all intents and purposes, what the study, conducted by Johnson Controls and titled Energy Efficiency Indicator 2008, boils down to is that facility executives recognize an energy cost problem, but are moving slowly towards corrective action.
Most (72 percent) executives are paying more attention to energy efficiency than they were a year ago, and a large majority (80 percent) believe that natural gas and electricity prices will rise an average of 13.79 percent over the next year. So, those numbers seem to indicate that executives are aware of a potential problem.
They’re not doing as much as they could to correct it, though. The survey indicates that investments in energy efficiency projects are flat, from last year’s survey to this year’s. As one of the study’s administrators stated, “The willingness to invest in energy efficiency is not keeping pace with the expected rise in prices.”
Any good news at all from the study? Sure – if you’re really an optimist. The number of respondents (53 percent) who cited “environmental responsibility” as an equal or greater motivator than cost reduction for investing in energy efficiency was up 5 percent. A small number, to be sure, but it shows that concerns over the environment are becoming more important.
Also, investment in renewable energy has increased – about 38 percent said they’re considering or using solar electric, 24 percent are using or considering solar thermal, and 19 percent are using or considering wind.