Johnson Controls has been recognized by independent analyst firm - Frost & Sullivan with its Best Practices Customer Value Leadership Award for 2022.
The assessment, covering chiller systems in buildings in North America, pitted Johnson Controls against global peers and roundly praised the company’s technology and customer service as market leading.
Connected chillers recognized
“Chiller systems can account for 40% of a building's total energy demand and they are one of the biggest targets for greenhouse gas reduction,” said Vijay Sankaran, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Johnson Controls, adding “By installing connected chillers, or adding connectivity to existing equipment, we can optimize how a system works - reducing failures and lowering a building's total energy draw to make serious inroads into its CO2 footprint.”
Vijay Sankaran adds, “The chiller product is itself key, but so is the connected digital solution; particularly the AI-enabled predictive and remote diagnostic abilities, delivered by our OpenBlue platform.”
OpenBlue Services for Chillers
OpenBlue Services for Chillers takes advantage of real-time data drawn from more than 200 data collection points
OpenBlue Services for Chillers takes advantage of real-time data drawn from more than 200 data collection points on each piece of equipment. For example, monitoring the temperature a chiller is operating at. The data gathered is compared to a model of a ‘perfect chiller’, a model created from Johnson Controls own statistical data compiled over more than 20 years.
In the case of temperature monitoring, an alert is generated, if the system readings are off by as little as half a degree from the expected range. This sort of insight allows the OpenBlue chiller experts to identify and deal with potentially critical system issues, before they can cause a breakdown. The services are offered for Johnson Controls equipment and products supplied by others.
Highly customer-focused approach
“Johnson Controls is highly customer-focused, as they pay attention to client needs very broadly, as well as offering focused market-leading capability with their OpenBlue Services for Chillers,” said Dennis Marcell, Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst.
Dennis Marcell adds, “We were impressed with the proactive AI-enabled capability of OpenBlue, especially its ability to extend equipment life and cut downtime in half, while generating significant annual energy savings. It's exactly why we awarded them the Best Practices Customer Value Leadership Award for 2022.”
Evidence of success
One Johnson Controls hospital customer with a deployment of 100 connected chillers has seen operational and energy savings of over US$ 200,000, in just three months post deployment.
The chillers are all monitored constantly with equipment performance benchmarked against a performance index score. If an issue is seen, any at-risk equipment is assigned for deeper root cause analysis.
Effective identification of faults and electrical surges
This level of real-time detective work has identified multiple faults and electrical surges
This level of real-time detective work has identified multiple faults and electrical surges, before they could damage critical components, such as motors and compressors. This has avoided safety shutdowns, expensive repairs and the disruption and elevated energy use from a failing system or part.
Mechanical issues, over-ridden building management system controls and improper preventive maintenance are all common risks that a connected chiller system, as enabled by Johnson Controls OpenBlue, helps to overcome.
Areas of Johnson Controls' performance in chillers
More broadly, areas of Johnson Controls leadership and performance in chillers, as identified by Frost & Sullivan include:
- Operational efficiency and the potential to reduce chiller system downtime by up to 50%.
- Price/performance value with Johnson Controls offering services contracts enabling customers to move from upfront CAPEX investment to OPEX pay-as-you-go models.
- Johnson Controls’ focus on energy savings and sustainability.
- Customer service and adaption based on a continual customer feedback cycle.
- Enhancing customers’ experience/abilities through continual innovation.
Services and security
Johnson Controls OpenBlue Services for Chillers offers on-going optimization capabilities, such as remote diagnostics and analysis, and preventive maintenance. By offering chiller energy monitoring or real-time control optimization ‘as-a-service’, customers can meet their sustainability goals faster by reducing operational energy costs.
Digitally enabling a chiller system and managing it with Johnson Controls OpenBlue Services minimizes energy waste, which can be as high as 30% in unmanaged chiller plants. There is also an increased ability to manage HVAC assets in real-time, so maintaining and increasing equipment uptime. Learn more about OpenBlue services.
New service model for chillers is an industry first
Our new service model for chillers is another industry first and it's very customer-centric"
“Offering chillers as a service rather than a product moves customers to a model, where they pay for outcomes rather than equipment,” said Ganesh Ramaswamy, the President - Global Services at Johnson Controls, adding “Our new service model for chillers is another industry first and it's very customer-centric.”
Ganesh Ramaswamy adds, “It amortizes our clients’ chiller system investment, moving from a capital cost to an operating one, and links it to Johnson Controls’ expected performance that we agree in advance.”
Born-secure approach to cyber security
Connecting systems, such as chillers, also requires a born-secure approach to cyber security, something Johnson Controls is investing heavily in, as evidenced by the recent acquisition of Tempered Networks.
The acquisition has delivered advanced zero-trust based Airwall technology into Johnson Controls digital services.
Johnson Controls' top brands
Johnson Controls provides chiller systems through the York brand. York systems have been cooling buildings for more than a century and provide the widest variety of water and air-cooled industrial and commercial chillers on the market.
With chillers that can run in the widest operating conditions, York has established industry leadership in reducing facilities’ carbon footprints, delivering healthier indoor environments and lowering energy costs.
Johnson Controls Sustainability Leadership
- Global 100 most sustainable corporations in 2022
- EcoVadis score in the 98th percentile
- A signatory to The Climate Pledge and net zero by 2040
- Founding member of the First Movers Coalition
From a 2017 baseline, Johnson Controls has achieved:
- 41% reduction in GHG emissions
- 15% cut in energy intensity
- 28 company sites now sending zero waste to landfill
