Johnson Controls significantly expanded AI capabilities in its OpenBlue Enterprise Manager suite of digital solutions, part of the OpenBlue digital ecosystem. This includes the first customer-facing generative AI applications, more autonomous building controls, and a significantly improved user experience.

The expanded AI features take data insights to the next level and build on the measurable impact customers are already seeing when utilising OpenBlue. With OpenBlue Enterprise Manager guiding facility improvements, coupled with equipment upgrades and proactive services, customers are benefitting from up to 30 per cent reduction in energy spend, up to 20 per cent reduction in maintenance spend, and 10 per cent more optimised space utilisation – a win for the environment and the bottom line.

“The expansion of customer-facing AI features into Johnson Controls OpenBlue marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of building management technology,” said Johnson Controls Chief Technology Officer Vijay Sankaran. “These new AI-driven features not only enhance operational efficiency and sustainability but also empower building owners and operators with unprecedented levels of insight and control. We are committed to pioneering innovations that drive automation and create smarter, more responsive environments for our customers.”

A recently commissioned Forrester Consulting study found that 90 per cent of respondents say their building systems are not fully integrated, costing time, people, and money. The expanded features in OpenBlue provide clearer insights and better performance, including:

• Integrated generative AI tools that proactively recommend impactful energy savings projects.
• Major upgrades to the user experience with a focus on personalisation, improved design, and compliance with a higher level of accessibility standards.
• Expanded data insights that allow users to see details on building visitors throughout the entire portfolio of buildings, improving the understanding and management of occupants.
• Enhanced indoor air quality monitoring and sensor analytics to support smarter and healthier buildings.
• Automatically adjusting setpoints based on fault diagnostics, saving energy, and accelerating capture of potential savings.

Turning Insights into Energy Savings Using Generative AI

OpenBlue now has integrated generative AI tools that proactively recommend the most impactful energy savings projects, reducing the need to analyse large amounts of building data. The system anticipates needs, like analysing energy usage based on live weather data, to create actionable insights, helping customers achieve energy savings and reduction in carbon emissions.

“Our customers have consistently told us that one of the challenges with AI is they are unsure of what questions to ask a Generative AI chatbot about their building,” said Julius Marchwicki, Vice President, Digital Product Management, Johnson Controls. “Our generative AI feature automatically constructs the right prompts that are built from our decades of experience in the commercial buildings space.”

The platform also tracks energy conservation projects across over 130 categories, improving data management and managing decarbonisation strategies. It supports utility bill management with automatic error correction, reducing billing gaps.

Driving Towards Autonomous Buildings

New features in OpenBlue are driving forward the future of autonomous buildings and allow customers to run their buildings with less manual intervention than ever before. The system can improve productivity by automating processes that traditionally have been manual. It can adjust setpoints based on fault diagnostics, saving energy, carbon, and accelerating potential cost savings. Users can enable autonomous actions or use the system to get advice while setting their operational constraints. It also provides detailed information about equipment performance and trends, from a broad view down to individual pieces of equipment. In this release, OpenBlue autonomous control can now be applied to a broader range of central utility plant designs.

Also Read | The Four Pillars of Progress: AI, IoT, Big Data, and Cloud Computing

Unlocking Building Performance

OpenBlue Enterprise Manager allows customers to unlock the performance of their building with real-time data visibility. A single pane of glass with advanced analytics, visualisation, and controls, accelerates operational outcomes and meets certification and regulatory compliance needs while ensuring data security and privacy.

Views expressed by Sivakumar Selva Ganapathy, VP & Head – Open Blue India & APAC Solutions | Board Member – JCIPL

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