OpenBlue Healthcare

Smarter HVAC control for your operating room

Automatically optimize operating room HVAC when rooms are not in use — improving efficiency, compliance, and savings across your hospital.

The costly problem hiding in plain sight

Operating rooms consume 3–6x more energy per square foot than the rest of the hospital, yet they sit unused more than 70% of the time. Meanwhile, staffing shortages, regulatory pressure, and high energy costs make it harder than ever to run efficient, compliant ORs.

Top challenges hospitals face:

ORs maintain "in-use" conditions 24/7 — even when idle.
Limited visibility into real-time OR environment data.
Energy waste increases financial risk and carbon footprint.
Traditional setback strategies are risky, inaccurate, and disrupt workflows.

Achieve sustainability standards without compromising compliance

Introducing OpenBlue Operating Room Optimization — a fully automated, cloud-connected system that safely reduces airflow, adjusts HVAC and restores compliance-ready conditions based on intelligent occupancy and scheduling data.

What makes it different:

Multi-signal occupancy detection (schedule + sensors + smart algorithms) for reliable triggers.
Instant ventilation recovery that meets Joint Commission, ASHRAE and CSA standards.
In-room display with manual override to support clinical workflows.
Cloud-based reporting for energy, gas, and electricity savings.
Easy deployment with pre-vetted hardware and BMS-agnostic integration.

How it works

Detects room status automatically

Combines sensors, schedule data and algorithms to determine occupancy safely and accurately.

Adjusts OR conditions when vacant

Air changes, temperature and ventilation scale bact to save, compliant levels — no clinician action required.

Restores ready conditions instantly

OR is returned to fully compliant status before staff re-enter, even for unscheduled cases.

Tracks savings and system health

Cloud dashboards show real-time energy savings, value creation and room-level performance.

Achieve 40% energy savings per operating room with OpenBlue Operating Room Optimization.

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Proven results from a major U.S. Health System

A leading acute-care hospital (30+ ORs) piloted OpenBlue in two rooms.

Results:

$450 saved per OR per month — over $5,000 per OR per year, with potential for $160,000 in campus-wide savings.
ORs were occupied only 28% of the time, allowing the system to automate HVAC setbacks safely.
Improved Joint Commission compliance with real-time OR visibility.
Zero clinical disruption, even during a network outage.

costly problem stats

Why hospitals trust Johnson Controls

140+ years of innovation in building performance and healthcare technologies.

Recognized in 40+ global sustainability and technology awards, including BIG Machine Learning Award and Verdantix IoT Leadership.

Provider of the world's largest portfolio of smart building technology.

Operating Room Optimization