by Brianna Crandall — January 18, 2016—Ecova, the total energy and sustainability management company, recently released a report that aggregates findings from its third annual survey of more than 700 energy, facility, finance, and sustainability professionals from numerous industries and various company sizes across North America. The report reveals important shifts in the way companies approach energy and sustainability management.
While cost savings remain the leading driver of energy and sustainability management decisions, the latest survey results indicate that professionals responsible for reducing resource consumption and costs are looking to new alternatives. Half of survey respondents indicated that they are leveraging meters, energy / building management systems (EMS / BMS), or other data collection / monitoring devices to manage resources at a more granular level.
One-third of the respondents are currently considering including distributed energy resources (DERs) in their energy management strategies, while another 35% of respondents are already leveraging DERs in many of their sites.
According to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), DERs are “smaller power sources that can be aggregated to provide power necessary to meet regular demand. As the electricity grid continues to modernize, DERs such as storage and advanced renewable technologies can help facilitate the transition to a smarter grid.”
Jana Schmidt, president and CEO, Ecova, said:
Companies are faced with complicated forces and challenges. In many ways we are at a turning point — the easier changes have been made and companies have gotten very sophisticated regarding managing resource consumption. But bigger challenges lie ahead and there will be high value in solving them.
The report discloses additional challenges and opportunities that energy and sustainability management professionals will face in 2016:
Adoption of new alternatives to manage energy and resource consumption will increase as companies become more sophisticated and capture the low-hanging fruit.
- The adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) is catching on. Ecova’s latest survey reveals DERs as a growing investment priority among FM and procurement professionals. Asked if their organizations have invested in DERs, a full one-third of respondents said they are currently considering DERs. Another 20% have already implemented DERs in pilot sites, and 15% say they are leveraging DERs at a majority of their sites. And 13% of respondents indicated that DERs are the smartest investment made in 2015, up from just 8% in 2013.
- Up 5% from last year, companies are investing in connected solutions to gather energy data in near real time, with over 30% of respondents indicating they have meters or EMS / BMS installed, and another 20% have pilot programs in place.
- For all three years that Ecova has conducted this survey, LED (light emitting diode) retrofits have been the best investment respondents have made. While it is encouraging to know that companies are still benefiting from this, the trend is expected to slow as more companies complete these retrofits.
Water conservation and management is no longer a choice; it is becoming an imperative.
- Nearly 60% of survey respondents implemented multiple measures to reduce water consumption.
- Quick-serve restaurants led the way in implementing multiple conservation measures, with 64% of quick-serve restaurant respondents suggesting a strong push for water conservation.
There is a clear move underfoot toward waste optimization and zero waste initiatives.
- 47% of respondents indicate multiple priorities for waste data and multiple waste initiatives.
- Among those whose roles relate to waste, Ecova sees a significant uptake of strategic waste disposal and diversion efforts, including optimizing service levels or “right-sizing” zero waste programs, and improving pricing and terms through procurement activity.
- In the grocery and convenience store segments, a commanding 60% of organizations report support for zero waste strategies such as reporting landfill diversion.
For more information on the survey and Ecova’s 2016 predictions, download the complete “2016 Energy and Sustainability Predictions: Findings from Leading Professionals” report or view the accompanying infographic on the Ecova site.
Ecova provides fully managed, technology-optimized solutions for saving resources, which in turn are said to increase returns, reduce environmental impact, lower risks, and enhance reputations. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of ENGIE, a worldwide global energy player.
