Acuity Brands Partners with Microsoft to Enable Sustainable Building Solutions

Rhea-AI Summary

Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) announced an expansion of its collaboration with Microsoft to enhance smart lighting and building automation solutions. The partnership aims to leverage Microsoft’s Cloud for Sustainability and Azure IoT to help clients significantly reduce carbon emissions, targeting an avoidance of 100 million metric tons by 2030. Acuity Brands' technology is already in use across 15 billion square feet of commercial real estate. This initiative emphasizes energy efficiency and cost savings for various facility operations, aligning with both companies' sustainability goals.

Positive

• Partnership with Microsoft aims to reduce 100 million metric tons of carbon emissions by 2030.
• Integration of Azure IoT and AI enhances Acuity Brands' smart lighting and building management technologies.
• Acuity's solutions are already implemented in 15 billion square feet of commercial space.

Negative

• None.

Atlanta, GA, Jan. 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI), a market-leading industrial technology company, today announced it is expanding its collaboration with Microsoft to bring new capabilities to Acuity Brands smart lighting, lighting controls, and building automation solutions. 

Acuity Brands has a bold goal to avoid 100m metric tons of carbon emissions as a result of projected 2020-2030 sales of LED luminaires, lighting controls, and building management systems replacing older technologies in existing buildings.  By combining the power of Microsoft’s Cloud for Sustainability and Microsoft Azure IoT with Acuity Brands customer solutions, Acuity Brands and Microsoft will jointly enable end customers, operating many types of facilities and buildings, to forecast and calculate the environmental and financial impacts that these new lighting and building management technologies deliver.  

“We estimate that building operations contribute 28% of global carbon emissions. By developing, deploying, and operating building systems with a focus on sustainability, we can materially reduce energy usage from facilities,” said Neil Ashe, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Brands. “Together with Microsoft, our goal is to integrate foundational technologies like Microsoft Azure IoT and AI with Acuity Brands solutions that allow companies to reduce carbon emissions while saving money on operating expenses.” 

Acuity Brands provides industry-leading lighting and lighting controls technology.  The company’s nLight® digital lighting controls platform, the Compact Pro ™ High Bay by Lithonia Lighting ®, and its other lighting and lighting controls offerings are currently deployed across 15 billion square feet of commercial real estate, including office space, retail stores, hospitals, and airports.  Additionally, the Acuity Brands smart building and energy management portfolio includes the ECLYPSE ® line of edge controllers by Distech Controls® to automate building functions and energy management services such as the Atrius® Building Manager. 

Acuity Brands and Microsoft will collaborate to bring the Acuity Brands portfolio of applications to Azure, standardizing data ingestion and analysis via Azure Digital Twins and analysis of this data via Azure’s AI offering.  Microsoft and Acuity Brands will also look to explore technology solutions that further evolve the way spaces can be evaluated, managed, and optimized in the future.    

“Consistency and accuracy in calculating carbon reductions are critical to tracking progress towards corporate climate commitments,” said Matt Renner, President, U.S. Enterprise Commercial at Microsoft. “Acuity’s end-to-end portfolio of smart lighting, building controls, and building management technology, built on Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, will deliver immediate energy savings to companies across all vertical markets operating facilities and buildings, by integrating sensing, analysis, and actuation.  Microsoft has bold commitments to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030, and we are pleased to partner with Acuity on its digital transformation journey.  Together we will accelerate development of solutions that immediately impact carbon emissions from building operations and extend these solutions to companies of all sizes that will need simple solutions to meet their own climate goals.” 

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About Acuity Brands 

Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is a market-leading industrial technology company. Through its two business segments, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls (ABL) and the Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG), the Company designs, manufactures, and brings to market products and services that make the world more brilliant, productive, and connected. Acuity Brands achieves growth through the development of innovative new products and services, including building management systems, lighting, lighting controls, and location-aware applications. 

Acuity Brands is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia. The Company is powered by approximately 13,500 dedicated and talented associates. Visit us at www.acuitybrands.com 

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which may be beyond our control.  We caution you that the forward-looking information presented in this press release is not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking information contained in this press release. In addition, forward-looking statements are statements other than those of historical fact and may include statements relating to goals, plans, market conditions and projections regarding Acuity Brands' strategy, and specifically include statements made in this press release regarding: new capabilities, goal to avoid 100m metric tons of carbon emissions, material reduction of energy usage, collaboration to bring Acuity’s portfolio of applications to Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform, standardization of data ingestion and analysis via Microsoft’s Azure Digital Twins and analysis of this data via Microsoft’s Azure AI offering.  Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “plan,” “seek,” “comfortable with,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe” or “continue” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. A number of important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from those contained in or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those factors discussed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021, filed on October 27, 2021 and those described from time to time in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which can be found at the SEC’s website www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking information presented herein is made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of events, or otherwise. 

# All trademarks referenced are property of their respective owners. 

Media Contacts: 

Acuity Brands 
Candace Steele Flippin 
candace@acuitybrands.com 

FAQ

What is Acuity Brands' new initiative with Microsoft?

Acuity Brands is expanding its collaboration with Microsoft to integrate smart lighting and building automation technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

What is the carbon emissions reduction target set by Acuity Brands?

Acuity Brands aims to avoid 100 million metric tons of carbon emissions by 2030 through the use of LED lighting and building management systems.

How does Acuity Brands plan to achieve its sustainability goals?

Acuity Brands plans to utilize Microsoft’s Cloud for Sustainability and Azure IoT to enhance their smart building solutions.

In how many square feet of commercial real estate is Acuity Brands' technology deployed?

Acuity Brands' technology is currently deployed across 15 billion square feet of commercial real estate.

What are the financial benefits of Acuity Brands' partnership with Microsoft?

The partnership is expected to deliver immediate energy savings and reduce operating expenses for clients using Acuity's technologies.