Concept: Ireland’s global conglomerate Johnson Controls has launched an industry-first OpenBlue indoor air quality as a service solution to help organizations keep their employees safe and healthy. It claims that the new solution provides the organizations with a long-term proactive approach to indoor air quality (IAQ) to the health and safety compliance standards and also optimize IAQ and energy costs. The company boasts that it is the first dedicated as-a-service IAQ solution for buildings with an innovative financing model. 

Nature of Disruption: Johnson Controls leverages various techniques to assess IAQ, pinpoint areas of risk and determine benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs) that support better IAQ, energy efficiency, and cost savings. Based on the assessment, IAQ sensors, products and services can be applied to meet the user’s desired outcomes. The new technology breaks down data silos and delivers all critical IAQ in one centralized place making it convenient to control devices, display IAQ data and identify trends, helping optimize energy costs and IAQ levels with AI-powered recommendations for improvements. It offers round-the-clock monitoring of critical IAQ values and provides recommendations for improvements. The solution also provides annual IAQ reassessments to enhance users’ operations as needed to maximize return on their IAQ investments. The new solution is offered as a monthly financing model that pays for service outcomes, lowers inherent risk, and removes upfront customer capital.

Outlook: According to Johnson Controls, nearly 60% of its customers are investing in indoor air quality-related measures. Improvement in air quality can have a positive impact on a building’s annual utility bill. Also, improved indoor air quality can reduce the aerosol transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Johnson Controls claims that the new IAQ as a service offers organizations to provide an innovative IAQ solution delivering energy-efficient and turnkey clean air outcomes with an innovative financing model.  It mentions that the new service also enables organizations to improve their environmental sustainability by reducing energy use.

This article was originally published in Verdict.co.uk