Ecova releases third annual survey of sustainability professionals

Ecova (Spokane, Wash.), a utility and energy management company, has released a report aggregating findings from an annual survey of more than 700 energy, facility, finance and sustainability professionals across North America. According to the third annual  2016 Energy and Sustainability Outlook survey, while cost savings remain the top driver of energy and sustainability management decisions, professionals responsible for reducing resource consumption and costs are looking to new alternatives. Half of survey respondents indicated that they are leveraging meters, energy/building management systems or other data collection/monitoring devices. One-third of respondents are considering including distributed energy resources (DERs) in their energy management strategies, while another 35% are already leveraging DERs. Nearly 60% of survey respondents implemented multiple measures to reduce water consumption, while 47% indicated multiple priorities for waste data and multiple waste initiatives. For all three years that Ecova has conducted the survey, LED retrofits have been the best investment made by respondents, although this trend is expected to slow as more companies complete retrofits.