A recent survey showed that commercial facilities are increasingly interested in energy efficiency measures that can help them save money and reduce carbon emissions to meet climate goals. Utilities can serve as advisors for many of these upgrades and help reduce implementation costs with low- or no-interest financing or subscription models.
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Xcel Energy-Minnesota recently launched a new program called Empower Facilities, a service that helps commercial and industrial customers realize energy savings through upgraded energy efficient systems. Through the program, Xcel experts provide a facility assessment and offer proposals for how customers can implement solutions with flexible financing options to meet their needs.
Starting with the customer’s energy savings objectives, Xcel conducts an energy evaluation to analyze the current state of the customer’s energy usage and systems. The company then utilizes insights from that study to identify and prioritize opportunities to help customers save money and achieve their energy goals. Empower Facilities will take these recommendations further and work with the customer to develop projects and provide a proposal for turnkey installation based on the customer’s preferences in technologies and trade partners.
With customer buy-in, Xcel Energy project teams then install, maintain and continuously improve the system throughout the contract period, proactively evaluating new opportunities to further reduce energy costs and business interruption. Empower Facilities supports energy saving technologies including HVAC, lighting, building controls, smart thermostats, fans, mechanical, energy storage, electric vehicle charging stations, onsite generation/gensets and more, said Xcel.
Financing options include cash, lease, loan or technology subscription (also known as energy-as-a-service) to fit the customer’s needs. The technology subscription option provides a fixed-monthly payment during a contract period, typically seven to 10 years long.
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