Johnson Controls takes building efficiency into the cloud

Johnson Controls has released a new building efficiency solution it says is designed to make it easier to improve the performance of facilities of any size.

Panoptix features the following:

• An open technology platform to help operators collect and manage data from disparate building systems and other sources, such as meter and weather data.
• A suite of cloud-hosted building efficiency applications that work with any building management system.
• Online and phone-based support, as well as on-site building and energy services.
• An online Panoptix community for sharing best practices, news and resources.

According to a recent IDC survey, 64 percent of respondents including building management decision-makers say cost is the top hurdle to implementing smart-building technology. Johnson Controls says Panoptix addresses this by eliminating the need for large initial capital investment with a software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription offering. Customers can further manage their investment by configuring systems and choosing only the applications they need to focus on their most critical priorities, such as energy usage and equipment performance.

The IDC survey also found that skill-set gaps made it difficult for facility managers to install and use smart-building technology.  According to Johnson Controls, Panoptix was designed to address this by presenting critical energy and performance information through an easy-to-use interface.

Initial Panoptix applications include:

• A continuous diagnostics advisor that detects abnormal energy consumption and identifies equipment faults
• A carbon and energy reporter that tracks energy use and carbon emissions across an enterprise
• A measurement and verification monitor that creates energy baseline models and tracks savings from energy efficiency projects
• A custom analyzer to compare facilities, diagnose problems and report performance

Johnson Controls expects to continue expanding the Panoptix suite of applications, and plans to make a software developer’s kit available in 2012.