Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) has been named to the 2022 Fortune Change the World list, which according to a press release "recognizes companies that use creative tools to address society's unmet needs and is evaluated based on measurable social impact, business results and degree of innovation."
Johnson Controls was recognized in the ranking specifically for its OpenBlue technology and OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings as a Service offering, a digital platform geared to solve customer's unique needs by managing building systems such as heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, security, general controls and fire.
The company maintains that the SaaS stands to revolutionize the built environment by digitally transforming building control and operations to drive greater sustainability, energy efficiency and automated operations through data insights.
The OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings as a Service offering is intended as a one-stop-shop for customers aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet net zero goals.
Customers work closely with Johnson Controls experts to design, digitalize and deploy an effective net zero program, making these goals easier to plan, execute, track and achieve.
OpenBlue Net Zero can be delivered as a performance-based service, where owners and operators pay for the outcome with a fixed monthly fee to lower their inherent risk and avoid capital investments.
Since its release in 2020, Johnson Controls notes it has continued to add tools to its OpenBlue platform to further advance the experience of its clients and buildings' occupants. The company notes that the platform has been adopted in buildings across multiple industries, including headquarters, major sports stadiums, hospitals, education facilities, factories and data centers.
George Oliver, chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls, commented:
"Buildings represent about 40% of global emissions and there is no decarbonizing our future without decarbonizing buildings. We're proud to deliver the innovative, sustainable technology and services that make net zero leadership easier to achieve through our OpenBlue suite of solutions and services. Our recognition on Fortune's 2022 Change the World list underscores the impact that we're continuing to make for our customers, our communities, the built environment and the world."
Johnson Controls reports that customers who have embraced its OpenBlue technology are already seeing results and making progress in their sustainability efforts – generating renewable energy, decreasing carbon emissions, improving operational efficiency and cutting down on resources and costs.
Examples include:
- Powerhouse Brattørkaia in Trondheim, Norway, which JCI calls "the most net energy-positive building in the northern hemisphere...setting a new standard for buildings by focusing on environmental considerations and reducing its carbon footprint." Powerhouse, a Norwegian collaboration set up to drive innovation in energy, collaborated with Johnson Controls to build a net energy-positive smart building that produces more energy than it consumes. The building delivers additional clean power to the community through a district loop.
- Colorado State University Pueblo, powered by a 23-acre solar farm with battery storage that supplies 12M kilowatt hours of electricity, is the first university campus in Colorado to reach net zero electricity for all academic facilities. Collaborating with Johnson Controls, it has created a sustainable, energy-efficient and healthy environment that minimizes energy costs for the next two decades and passes these savings on to students and the community.
