BOULDER, Colo. — A new white paper from Navigant Research analyzes survey results from 202 respondents on the proliferation of energy efficient and intelligent building technologies in the commercial segment, providing insight into the customer point of view.

The growth in sensing, automation, and control devices, as well as software and services, underscores the transition in commercial building management toward more strategic decision-making around cost containment, energy efficiency, sustainability, and occupant satisfaction, said Navigant. These technologies are also driving the importance of Building2Grid, a concept offering the potential to unlock two-way power flows and bundle non-energy related services in commercial buildings. According to the paper, energy efficient and intelligent building technologies and services are foundational to setting the stage for the Building2Grid concept.

“Market transformation starts with innovators, including early mover customers that have a vision for business evolution and the willingness to invest to kick-start change,” said Casey Talon, principal research analyst with Navigant Research. “Customers are still solidifying the business case for investment in advanced commercial building management technologies, but substantial increases in spending suggest there is momentum in the market toward greater commitment into the mid-term.”

To take advantage of business opportunities developing with the “energy cloud,” building owners and facility executives must manage energy efficient equipment within the facility through automation and control technologies that are directed by sophisticated software analytics and services. According to the report, a large and diverse landscape of vendors shows early adopters are investing in and benefiting from intelligent building and energy efficient technologies; however, in order to see market transformation become a reality, there needs to be broad market penetration of these solutions.

The white paper, 2016 Intelligent Buildings Survey, provides insights on investment and market outlook from 202 respondents, with over two-thirds representing facilities management/building operations. These corporate decision makers provide a customer point of view across the spectrum of building management. One-third of these respondents report responsibility for managing mixed portfolios of large and small buildings and just under a third manage large individual buildings.

An executive summary of the white paper is available here.

Publication date: 10/14/2016

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