Johnson Controls: Building with AI and Smart Technology
Buildings account for around 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, as reported by the IEA, yet they are often overlooked in discussions about climate change.
For Katie McGinty, Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer at Johnson Controls, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.
The company, with its extensive 140-year history and operations in 150 countries, creates technologies that convert buildings from energy drains into intelligent, eco-friendly 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."
Efficiency, electrification and digitalisation
This technological triad of efficiency, electrification and digitalisation is transforming the way organisations perceive their physical infrastructure.
Properly applied, these advancements can turn buildings into assets that not only support operations autonomously but also generate income through energy sales back to the power grid.
Johnson Controls is applying this approach to its own infrastructure.
"The climate is telling us that until we decarbonise those buildings, we can't effectively decarbonise the climate.”
The company is nearing 90% of its science-based target for emission reductions.
A significant example is their factory in Norman, Oklahoma, the firm's second-largest energy consumer, which has managed to reduce emissions substantially without disrupting essential functions.
"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."
Revolutionising energy efficiency
While energy efficiency has struggled with visibility, it's now being transformed by technology.
"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."
Technologies like heat pumps are visualising energy savings effectively.
Johnson Controls now makes large-scale heat pumps which not only have an impressive visual impact but also significant environmental benefits.
In one Canadian locale, a heat pump next to a wastewater treatment plant cut down heating needs by 78% by reclaiming waste heat.
Following geopolitical tensions, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, energy security has gained prominence among top executives and business leaders.
In response, Johnson Controls worked with a Danish hospital to harness an old quarry's thermal energy, resulting in a marked cost reduction.
Retrofit opportunities in existing buildings
Not all projects start from new builds.
According to the World Economic Forum, 80% of today's urban buildings will be operational in 2050, holding the responsibility for up to 60% of city emissions.
Katie explains that retrofits - updates to older structures - offer excellent opportunities for emission and cost reductions due to initial inefficiencies.
However, capturing executive interest in these projects is often challenging.
"The bricks and mortar of an organisation aren't typically what is capturing the attention and imagination of the boardroom," Katie explains.
"When the CEO shows up and heads for the elevator, she's pushing B for the boardroom, not B for the basement."
"The bricks and mortar of an organisation aren't typically what is capturing the attention and imagination of the boardroom.”
Data centre transformation
AI's rapid progress, especially in generative capabilities, has led to accelerated data centre growth, posing challenges such as energy consumption and spatial demands.
Johnson Controls addresses these challenges by collaborating with data centre and chip manufacturers, aiming to ease these burdens with innovative cooling solutions.
By adapting magnetic bearing technology initially designed for submarines, Johnson Controls reduced compressor size by 44%, enabling a new vertical construction possibility for data centres.
Moreover, with AI increasing energy demands, Johnson Controls utilises digital platforms to enhance building efficiency.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, energy use dropped by only 20% despite an 80% occupancy reduction.
This prompted a shift towards smarter buildings that automatically manage operations, thus saving energy and costs.
"As we do that, the building goes from being a major climate culprit to a real climate champion," concludes Katie, indicating a promising trajectory for the integration of AI and digital solutions in building management.
