By Juan Pedro Tomás

Smart buildings specialist Johnson Controls and funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, a global alternative asset manager, announced a strategic partnership providing sustainability and energy efficiency services to help customers address decarbonization and operating cost goals for their buildings.

The new venture combines Apollo’s strategic capital with Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue services.

The new venture is also intended to provide customers across the United States and Canada with performance-based energy efficiency and smart buildings services at no upfront costs and with predictable monthly fees, Johnson Controls said.

“Johnson Controls is a trusted global leader in sustainable buildings, and we’re thrilled to combine their expertise and scaled suite of services with our fund capital and experience to bring customers fully financed, turnkey solutions to lower energy costs, improve energy reliability and reduce their carbon footprint,” said senior partner and co-head of infrastructure and natural resources at Apollo, Geoffrey Strong. “We see strong and enduring demand for greater energy efficiency and sustainability. This new venture will help companies find innovative, more affordable means to take on these critical infrastructure projects and aligns with Apollo’s longstanding commitment to ESG.”

The venture targets a range of efficiency offerings tailored to schools, campuses, data centers, healthcare facilities as well as commercial and industry facilities, as more customers look to meet environmental standards to combat climate change and reach their carbon neutrality goals.

“Meeting decarbonization, energy efficiency and sustainability goals while managing risk and reducing cost is a clear priority for our customers,” said Johnson Controls Executive Vice President and CFO Olivier Leonetti. “This new venture with Apollo combines strategic capital with our cutting edge OpenBlue services to provide customers with guaranteed outcomes and risk management models to achieve emission reductions and sustainability commitments and contribute to healthier buildings, people, places and planet.”

Last month, Johnson Controls announced the launch of its OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings as a Service offering. Johnson Controls said that this new offering will provide a one-stop shop for companies looking to achieve net zero carbon and renewable energy goals.

The OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings as a Service portfolio includes a full spectrum of offerings tailored to schools, campuses, data centers, healthcare facilities as well as commercial and industry players.

Johnson Controls has also created a new offering called OpenBlue Net Zero Advisor, with the aim of delivering real-time, AI-driven tracking and reporting of sustainability metrics, helping facilities managers ensure and prove the net zero carbon reduction and renewable energy impact of their buildings. Based on criteria such as LEED certification, the new technology automatically gathers and analyzes data about energy, water, materials and greenhouse gas emissions involved in every phase of a building’s lifecycle and proves CO2 reductions, renewable energy and efficiency gains, Johnson Controls said.