Carrier Australia is investing locally, increasing head count and developing its building solutions offering, Abound, to be NABERS-ready by 2026.
In an exclusive interview with CCN, the newly-appointed managing director of Carrier Australia and Building Technologies South Asia Pacific, J.B. Spillane, said the company is actively hiring with plans to make Australia “one of the great growth stories around the globe.
Spillane said Carrier is well-positioned to support Australia’s transition to net zero by 2050 and can provide building owners with a full suite of solutions to provide cost savings and meet energy efficiency regulations.
After only five weeks in Australia, Spillane said he can see a lot of potential and a tonne of room for growth. Before taking on his current role Spillane worked in China and Japan.
“There are a lot of building management systems out there and once you’re hooked into a system it is hard to untie yourself; that’s what makes Abound different,” he said.
“Abound is an overlay which can pull insights from any BMS and provide actionable insights.”
Carrier Abound is a digital platform and suite of connected solutions to improve building performance, sustainability and asset management while improving energy efficiency and reducing operational costs.
With energy costs rising and ESG reporting becoming mandatory, Spillane said Australian commercial building owners are at risk of missing out on significant savings.
Inefficient HVAC systems, outdated building controls, and a lack of proactive energy management are costing businesses untold millions annually.
“Building owners need visibility to keep costs down over the long term of a building’s life; it’s a whole lifecycle solution story,” Spillane said.
In recent weeks Spillane has been meeting with customers in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and is keen to accommodate their needs.
“Our customers are very specific about what they want. They want to achieve a NABERS rating so we are making that happen. It means our customers can charge a premium if they have a higher NABERS rating,” he said.
Carrier recently completed a BMS retrofit with a large commercial real estate company in Brisbane.
“They achieved a NABERS score of 5.0 and the project took less than four months to complete with no downtime,” Spillane said.
“They are seeing operational efficiencies already and their tenants are super happy.”
With the Olympics coming up in 2032, Spillane said there will be a tonne of activity in Queensland particularly in the healthcare vertical.
“There are a lot of hospitals being built but there are also a lot of hospitals that need a retrofit,” he said.
“Data centres are also big in Australia and will provide a big growth story over the next five to 10 years.
“With all the actions around net zero and NABERS there’s going to be an accelerated push to upgrade a lot of these buildings and we are well positioned to unlock significant savings through smart upgrades.”