How ESCOs are using utility data to gain new customers
Have you ever noticed the ads on your favorite social network or web site? It’s as if the site knows you personally.
Much of the most valuable technology today helps companies cheaply identify potential customers with great accuracy. How do they do this?
Intelligent analytics.
Energy engineering firms and energy services companies (ESCOs) can take advantage of the same sort of targeting with inexpensive energy analytics solutions.
Energy analytics solutions provide a means of identifying energy inefficiencies in commercial buildings using readily available data – for example, utility interval data and billing data. The data is processed by sophisticated software algorithms which turn it into insightful information.
There has been a lot of debate in the energy services industry regarding the effectiveness and value of these “low-touch” energy analysis tools.
Experienced energy advisors and engineers believe that the only way to achieve a detailed assessment of the inefficiencies in a building is through a full blown on-site energy audit. This makes a lot of sense. And there is no doubting the skill, expertise, and value of trained energy professionals and their structured audit processes.
But energy analytics software serve a valuable purpose too. What if you added a tool to your arsenal that could do the following?
- Greatly expand your list of client targets
- Easily identify the most lucrative targets
- Shorten the sales cycle
- Provide constructive efficiency suggestions right from the start
- Save time
- Reduce customer acquisition costs
- Measure savings in close to real-time
Energy analytics software solutions open doors for you.
Ultimately, this software becomes a low-cost way to justify the expense of an on-site energy audit—which can lead to the long-term, performance-based efficiency engagements that are your bread and butter.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the benefits that energy analytics software provides for energy services firms.
- Screening. By screening properties before visiting, auditors can determine in advance which buildings are most likely to yield meaningful savings. You can increase your engagement success rate by presenting valuable information on potential cost savings and ROI – up front. The days of empty-handed sales calls are over.
- Target identification. Clients can be presented with a list of high value energy efficiency targets for their building or portfolio of buildings – providing them an expansive view of the most promising efficiency projects.
- Scheduling. Budget and resource constraints can be the most difficult hurdle to overcome for many clients. Having the ability to work with decision makers to schedule projects in a way that maximizes value within their resource constraints builds ongoing relationships and earns their trust.
Gridium’s energy analytics platform provides all of this and more for energy services firms. Our low cost energy analytics solution delivers insights from energy data that is readily available from the local utility. You can gain customer insight quickly and simply. There is no hardware to install, no software to deploy, and no need for manual data entry.
Energy efficiency should be a no-brainer. But selling efficiency still faces significant hurdles. Gridium’s technology is helping to change this for energy engineering and energy services firms.
Get past these hurdles from the start with data-driven analytics and clearly stated benefits.
Engage you customers from the start. Make your sales efforts more efficient. Expand your reach. And build trust for the long term.
How do you prefer to compete?
