ESCOs are energy service companies that develop energy infrastructure projects from design to implementation, provide comprehensive financing solutions, and perform post installation verification
As summer approaches, ensuring your HVAC system can effectively cool your building is paramount. Unfortunately, aging infrastructure including cooling, lighting and heating systems are often overlooked until their breaking point. In the meantime, inefficient equipment leads to unnecessary energy expenses. Who can help you maximize ROI on your energy infrastructure? An ESCO like Vanguard Building Solutions.
Vanguard is proud to announce that we have just been named as a Division of Property Management and Construction (DPMC) ESCO—making us one of only 14 companies in the state of New Jersey with this certification.
Becoming certified is a rigorous process. The state looks at a company’s financials, their staff’s expertise, the quality and size of past projects, and proven energy savings. They also ensure that the company works with utility providers, so clients receive the financial incentives often offered by utilities.
The Benefits of Working with an ESCO
What does working with an ESCO mean for you?
An Energy Service Company (ESCO) is not your typical energy contractor. It’s a vetted and certified company that specializes in optimizing your building’s overall energy infrastructure, providing financing solutions, and managing the project end-to-end.
Unlike the contractor who may focus on an individual project like HVAC or lighting, an ESCO is certified to bring a range of energy conservation measures to the table. That’s the best way to optimize your energy use—and your budget.
The ESCO Approach to Financing
It’s not just about energy conservation measures; it’s also about your bottom line and your cash flow. Vanguard provides various financing options, allowing clients to often undertake energy-saving projects with zero or minimal upfront capital outlay.
Vanguard helps clients obtain grants, utility-based incentives, low-interest loans and other types of financing. We can introduce you to financing solutions such as Power Purchase Agreements and Energy Service Agreements—an off-balance sheet option where the performance of your new energy-efficient equipment is used to help offset the costs of your project.
We also look at how bundling energy conservation projects can be very economical. Business owners often view infrastructure improvements as separate projects, but stacking energy conservation measures yields higher incentives and savings. For instance, a lighting project alone might garner a 20% incentive, but bundling it with HVAC could increase the incentive to 80%.
Your Project Developer
Working with Vanguard streamlines the entire process from design to implementation and beyond. Rather than trying to coordinate multiple contractors, you have a single point of contact overseeing the entire project.
The process begins with an assessment of your energy use and equipment efficiency, followed by identification of the best energy conservation measures and improvements for your property. Vanguard ensures a holistic approach, considering ideas beyond lighting, or HVAC, or solar; ideas such as controls and fuel-use economizers.
But it doesn’t stop there. Vanguard provides engineering design, management of the bid process and full construction management including on-site project management. After installation, there is testing, verification of energy savings, training and maintenance support—so you continue to maximize the benefits of your new infrastructure, year after year.
5 Questions to ask an ESCO
- What is your geographic reach?
- What is your specialization and experience with projects that are similar in size and scope to mine? What size project is ideal for you?
- What type of onsite support and project management can I expect? Are your project managers located nearby?
- Who does your design engineering? Is it in-house staff or do you contract that work out?
- What is your track record securing favorable financing on projects such as mine?
Ensuring Long-Term Success
Ultimately, partnering with Vanguard Building Solutions isn’t just about short-term gains—it’s about securing long-term success for your business and the environment. By leveraging our expertise, you’re optimizing your energy infrastructure and future-proofing your operations against rising energy costs.
Vanguard’s commitment extends beyond the completion of every project. We’re dedicated to ongoing support, maintenance and optimization to ensure that your investment continues to deliver value for years to come.
As you consider your building’s aging energy infrastructure, consider Vanguard. With our ESCO certification and commitment to excellence, we are ready to help you improve your bottom line and contribute to a more sustainable future. Contact us today and tell us about your project.