Sustainable Infrastructure

Johnson Controls combines engineering expertise, original equipment manufacturer knowledge, digital building technology, flexible delivery models, financing support, and long term operations capabilities to help organizations improve infrastructure performance. With more than 40 years of energy services experience, thousands of completed projects, and a track record of guaranteed savings and avoided emissions, Johnson Controls can serve as one accountable partner from planning through long term performance.

Johnson Controls Sustainable Infrastructure helps organizations modernize critical building systems through end to end planning, engineering, project delivery, financing support, operations, maintenance, and lifecycle optimization. Our approach is designed to reduce risk, minimize disruption, improve reliability, and deliver measurable outcomes such as energy savings, operational efficiency, resiliency, and long term cost control.

Deferred maintenance grows when repair or replacement work is delayed because of limited capital, competing priorities, staffing constraints, or uncertainty about long term plans. Over time, small issues can become larger failures, equipment can operate less efficiently, and emergency repairs can cost more than planned upgrades. For example, $1 million major renewal project could rise to roughly $1.5–$2 million over five years if annual costs increase by about 8%–15%, a rate consistent with recent construction pricing volatility. A proactive infrastructure strategy helps organizations prioritize risk, bundle related improvements, and address aging systems before they disrupt operations or budgets.

Organizations can reduce energy costs without upfront capital by using performance based delivery models that align infrastructure improvements with future savings or predictable operating payments. Options may include energy savings performance contracts, Energy as a Service, public private partnerships, contingent payment programs, and other customized financing approaches that help preserve capital while enabling needed upgrades.

A public entity can often fund facility improvements by aligning upgrades with savings, incentives, grants, rebates, bond proceeds, capital plans, or alternative delivery models that reduce the need for upfront cash. Performance based approaches, such as energy savings performance contracts, can use guaranteed energy and operational savings to help repay eligible improvements over time. Depending on local authority and project goals, public entities may also consider public private partnerships, Energy as a Service, contingent payment programs, or other financing structures that preserve taxpayer dollars while addressing critical infrastructure needs.

Yes. In many cases, energy and operational savings can help fund capital improvements when the project is structured to convert future utility cost reductions into a repayment source. Under an ESPC, for example, an energy service company identifies improvements, designs and installs upgrades, and guarantees that the project will achieve a defined level of savings. Those savings can then be used to help pay for eligible measures such as HVAC upgrades, controls, lighting, building automation, water conservation, and other efficiency improvements.

An energy savings performance contract, or ESPC, is a performance based alternative funding and project delivery model that uses guaranteed long term energy and operational savings to help pay for facility improvements. Instead of requiring significant upfront capital, Johnson Controls evaluates current utility use, identifies opportunities to reduce energy and maintenance costs, designs and installs upgrades, and helps structure repayment from the savings generated over time. Common improvements may include LED lighting, HVAC retrofits, smart building automation, controls upgrades, and other efficiency measures. If the guaranteed savings are not achieved, Johnson Controls assumes financial responsibility under the terms of the agreement to reimburse the customer.

A public private partnership, or P3, is a long term project delivery model that brings together a public organization and a private sector partner to deliver major infrastructure improvements. In a P3, private sector expertise can be used to help develop, finance, design, build, operate, maintain, or modernize facilities such as central plants, building systems, or large scale retrofits. The goal is to transfer appropriate project and performance risks to an experienced partner while helping the public organization retain ownership of the assets. Long term contracts typically define performance standards, key performance indicators, and asset condition requirements so outcomes are clear and measurable. Johnson Controls Sustainable Infrastructure uses this type of model to help organizations modernize critical infrastructure with greater accountability, predictable performance expectations, and long term value.

Procurement options vary by state, statute, and agency requirements, but public agencies may be able to use traditional design bid build, design build, construction manager at risk, job order contracting, cooperative purchasing, energy savings performance contracting, public private partnerships, or other locally authorized methods. The right approach depends on the agency s goals, legal authority, funding strategy, schedule, risk allocation, and desired level of long term performance accountability.

Yes. Performance contracts can typically be competitively procured when the agency follows the procurement process authorized for its jurisdiction. Instead of selecting only on lowest first cost, many public entities use a qualifications based or best value process that evaluates experience, technical approach, financial strength, measurement and verification methods, guaranteed savings, project scope, and long term service capabilities. Agencies should confirm applicable requirements with their legal and procurement teams.

Design build is a project delivery method in which one team is responsible for both design and construction, often helping streamline coordination and schedule. An ESPC is a performance based model that may also include design and construction, but it is specifically structured around energy or operational savings, measurement and verification, and a contractual savings guarantee. In short, design build focuses on integrated delivery of a defined project, while ESPC focuses on delivering improvements that are paid for in whole or in part through verified savings and long term performance accountability.

Energy as a Service is a long term performance partnership that shifts infrastructure investment from a one time capital project to a predictable service model. Johnson Controls can design, build, finance, operate, and maintain energy infrastructure over the contract term, helping organizations improve system performance, manage costs, preserve capital, and transfer selected project and operational risks to an experienced partner.

Sustainable infrastructure projects can retrofit, renew, or add a wide range of building and utility systems, including HVAC equipment, chillers, boilers, air handling units, heat recovery, building envelope, building automation, controls, lighting, electrical distribution, central utility plants, on site power generation, solar, storage, microgrids, water systems, wastewater systems, fire and life safety systems, security systems, and connected building technologies.

Performance guarantees reduce project risk by defining measurable outcomes before work begins and holding Johnson Controls accountable for delivering them. Depending on the project, key performance indicators may include energy savings, utility cost reductions, system availability, uptime, emissions reductions, equipment performance, facility condition, or lifecycle cost targets.

Operations and maintenance services support long term performance by keeping building systems running efficiently after installation. Johnson Controls can provide on site staffing, remote operations support, preventive maintenance, condition based maintenance, contractor coordination, reporting, training, and lifecycle planning to help organizations improve uptime, reduce reactive work, and make better decisions about assets and budgets.

Sustainable infrastructure can help organizations advance decarbonization goals or help organizations meet regulatory mandates by reducing energy consumption, improving equipment efficiency, integrating renewable energy, electrifying systems where appropriate, optimizing central plants, and using data to track performance over time. These strategies can lower greenhouse gas emissions while also supporting resilience, cost control, and operational performance.