According to a recent survey of leaders in energy efficiency from business and government sectors conducted by Schneider Electric, up to 56% expect to invest more into energy efficiency than they did last year. While 63% of respondents had invested in energy efficiency projects, 64% reported that real cost savings was the driving force behind the investment decision.
The survey also asked for respondents' thoughts on what would be the most popular energy management approaches to take hold in the next five years. Building automation was the most cited choice, with efficient lighting and data center improvements coming in closely behind.
The two most common energy management practices that organizations had adopted in the past year were tracking and analyzing data and regular energy audits, with up to 29% reporting at least one being performed in the past 12 months. Also significant was the 41% of respondents who mentioned tax credits or incentives as the policy that has the most impact on improving their organization's efficiency portfolio.
"With the majority of respondents reporting energy efficiency investments to be the same or more than last year, it's clear that the benefits of energy efficiency are speaking for themselves," says Laurent Verney, President and CEO, North American Operations, Schneider Electric.
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