Posted by Pam Hoddinott 
On Tue Jan 24Energy Management Consultants find cost-effective ways for organizations to improve their energy usage and lower costs. An Energy Consultant can provide expert insight into how your organization uses its energy and how it can achieve energy and sustainability goals with customized energy strategies.
Energy Consultants offer their expertise in a variety of areas, such as:
Managing the energy use for a company is complicated and time-consuming. Experienced Energy Management Consultants will analyze your energy data and create practical solutions to lower energy costs, reduce energy usage, and improve sustainability.
Organizations focus on their core business, rightfully so, but many often neglect an essential aspect that could be costly – Energy Efficiency. Proper energy management could be a key strategy that helps boost the success of your organization by increasing profitability, improving sustainability, and advancing operational efficiency. One of the best ways to ensure that your organization succeeds in the area of energy efficiency is to partner with an Energy Management Consultant. The primary objective of an Energy Consultant is to improve energy efficiency by reducing energy usage and lowering energy costs.
Energy Management Consultants will help your organization find ways to use energy more efficiently. How do you know you could benefit from the help of an Energy Consultant? Let’s look at five signs indicating that partnering with an Energy Management Consultant would be of value to you.
Effectively managing energy use isn’t a sporadic duty you focus on only when you have the time. It requires dedication, expertise, insight, and planning based on a thoroughly constructed strategy that is aligned with your organization’s goals.
Managing the energy use for an organization – maybe with multiple facilities – takes a considerable amount of time. Even if you have an in-house staff knowledgeable about energy management, planning and implementing energy optimization strategies takes time
Directors of Operations and Energy Managers are tasked with increasing energy efficiency and reducing other energy-related costs using best practices for buildings, assets and equipment, systems, technology, and more. Partnering with a reputable Energy Consultant can help to reduce the time needed to refine your plan and put it into action, providing your organization with greater results – faster.
Has your organization recently stated energy or sustainability goals? Statistics show that 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [1]. There is an immense opportunity for improvement and savings. The savings gained from energy efficiency projects can be reinvested back into the business or fund additional energy efficiency measures. Energy efficiency should be at the heart of reaching sustainability commitments and lower energy costs.
A Forbes article reveals only 2% of organizations have achieved or exceeded their sustainability program’s goals. Why? Leadership often overlooks the complexities of implementing more efficient and sustainable operations.
If you don’t have a plan or are unsure where to start to put one together (or the time), it might be prudent to seek the assistance of an Energy Consultant. Qualified Energy Consultants have helped organizations of all types (think energy management in hotel industry industrial, commercial, retail, and others) and sizes meet their goals.
This experience gained by Energy Consultants provides the specialized knowledge to create a customized plan, which may include new technologies that have been thoroughly vetted. This approach should prioritize problematic areas in a facility that will make the biggest impact first. In the long run, a fresh viewpoint of your energy usage and how to reach energy goals could be very beneficial.
Energy is a complicated matter. Energy optimization requires a special set of skills, experience, and knowledge. An Energy Consultant may be able to uncover hidden areas for improvement that have gone unnoticed. It is important to understand not only how to create a strategy but also how to implement it.
Depending on your plan, some of the skills needed may include energy assessments, benchmarking, procurement, renewables, analysis, financing, and even electric vehicle deployment. You may benefit significantly from working with an Energy Consultant if you lack expertise in any of these areas.
Energy Consulting experts have a wide variety of expertise in the latest trends, technology, and training moving you toward your energy goal and increased profitability. Ultimately, they are there to help you solve your most pressing energy problems. You can rely on an Energy Consultant to provide a simpler way to reach your complex energy and decarbonization goals.
Hiring additional employees to focus on energy and decarbonization can be expensive. Maybe you already have an exceptional staff that you can rely on – great. An Energy Consultant doesn’t want to replace that team. An Energy Consultant will act as an extension to your existing staff to fill in areas that may be lacking.
An Energy Consultant will align energy efficiency recommendations with your organization’s business goals. Energy Managers often try managing energy-saving projects one by one, which can be time consuming, or managing multiple energy efficiency projects simultaneously, which can be frustrating. Instead, partner with an Energy Consultant who will be your one point of contact.
The Energy Management Consultant will manage multiple energy projects in a planned, coordinated, and strategic approach across your organization. This integrated effort helps to increase profitability, minimizes the impact on your business, and provides a maximum return on your investment.
Upfront costs are a major barrier to implementing energy efficiency projects. Financing offerings can minimize these upfront costs allowing more organizations to move forward with energy savings improvements.
Financing can be provided in a variety of ways. An Energy Consultant will be familiar with several financing solutions they can bring to the table. One solution may be Energy-as-a-Service or EaaS. EaaS provides financing without any up-front costs.
Another option that improves ROI and helps to get efficiency projects approved is by taking advantage of rebates, incentives, or grants. These are typically offered by utility companies, federal agencies, or municipalities. Rebates and incentives can significantly reduce the cost of an energy efficiency project such, as LED lighting and HVAC upgrades or even EV deployment. Staying up to date on rebates and incentives is time consuming as the information is updated often, and programs can run out of funds. An Energy Consultant will be familiar with these incentive programs and how to submit the proper paperwork, perform measurement and verification (M&V), and complete post-inspection requirements.
Companies that work with a strategic partner, such as an Energy Consultant, can overcome these barriers and are more likely to reach their energy goals successfully.
If you think working with an Energy Consultant might be advantageous for your organization, here are a few things to look for in a partner:
A Long History of Success
Look for an Energy Consultant that has return clients. They should have success stories, case studies, and client references that provide credibility for their capability to help manage your organization’s energy use.
A Team with Extensive Knowledge
Your energy challenges will most likely cover a range of areas – lighting, HVAC, EV charging, sustainability, solar, energy storage, and more. It is important to find an Energy Consultant that has subject matter experts in all areas of a program, including design, engineering, construction, financing, and ongoing support.
A Transparent Process
A credible Energy Consultant will be fully transparent about their processes and the cost of services. This will allow you to understand the ROI and payback model better, as well as make an informed decision regarding your customized efficiency plan.
A Customized Solution
Work with a well-rounded Energy Consultant that takes the time to analyze and research to create a customized energy program. These experts will use their knowledge to uncover hidden costs and inefficiencies. From that, actionable recommendations are proposed that will boost your organization’s energy efficiency. The plan should be designed expressly with your organization’s timeline, budget, and goals in mind.
An Accessible Point of Contact
We mentioned this earlier – energy is complicated. There are more options today than ever before to improve an organization’s energy use. An Energy Consultant should make the process of achieving energy efficiency easy for any enterprise. They should be readily available and serve as a single point of contact. This reduces the stress of managing multiple efficiency projects and contractors through one expert.
If you have decided an Energy Consultant could be beneficial, consider Chateau Energy Solutions to be your trusted advisor for all your energy needs. We offer exceptional Energy Management Consulting expertise and will design a unique energy program for your company. We will provide strategic advice that will deliver results.
Learn more about our Energy Consulting solution. See actual results from energy projects we’ve implemented for our clients. Chateau Energy Solutions is committed to helping organizations reach their complex energy goals with customized energy and sustainability solutions.
Ready to get started on the path to energy efficiency and sustainability?
