HomeMy WebLinkAboutFPL Services backup documentsFPL Energy Services ( Performance Contracting
Delivering Superior Energy Savings
Case Studies
Performance
Force Base
electric, water and natural
NASA's
FPL Energy Services, Inc, (FPLES) goes above and beyond to meet
Kennedy
Space Center
the unique performance contracting needs of government facilities at
Contracts with
the federal, state and local level. Service isn't just part of our name -
FPLES
it's what our customers depend on from FPLES. They consider
Cutting
FPLES — and our utility company roots — an invaluable resource for
Energy
developing energy management plans to save money and reduce
Consumption
consumption.
and Saving
other appropriated funds
Tax Dollars
Expertise In Energy Proven Experience `FPLES Helps
Services
FPLES has been delivering
energy savings expertise for over
two decades — even before the
inception of the state and federal
regulations now governing this
economical approach to installing
energy-efficient equipment, water
conservation measures, and other
upgrades. Customers give us high
marks for our commitment to
service, the innovative and
customized solutions we provide,
and our ability to understand the
unique needs of every project.
HVAC, Energy Management
Page 1 of 2
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Patrick Air
. Significant savings in annual
Force Base
electric, water and natural
Save Nearly
gas bills
$1.5 Million a
. No up -front, out of pocket
Year in Energy
funds required for
Consumption
performance contracts
Costs
. Contract options include
_
ESPC (DOE & U.S. Army),
ContatFP�
UESC, ECIP, EUL, PPA and
ces
other appropriated funds
Emergency Power Plant
. Investment recovered
2,889
through utility and O&M
realized savings
. All savings verified and
Lighting, Generators
guaranteed
4,510
HVAC, Energy Management
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Annual CO2
Customer
Energy Conservation
Total Annual
Emissions
Measure
Savings
Reductions,
lbs.
'Lake City Veterans
iAdministration Medical
Emergency Power Plant
$199,229
2,889
'Center
Cape Canaveral Air Force
Lighting, Generators
$311,000
4,510
Station
HVAC, Energy Management
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FPL Energy Services I Performance Contracting
jPatrick Air Force Base
;Kennedy Space Center
:Everglades National Park
Control System, Central Chiller
Plant
$1,211,441
HVAC, Controls, Lighting, $1,790,328
Boilers
Lighting $25,000
17,566
363
•.I
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Large Business � ESCO-Performance Contracting
Pagel of 3
Solutions f®r Energy Management ESCO —
Performance Contracting - ` `j`` '>
Do you hesitate at the thought of starting another project? Finding and hiring a design engineer? Bidding out the
project? Selecting the contractor? And then hoping that change orders won't blow your budget? Even if you handle
projects in-house, how much time does your staff have to spare?
FPL Energy Services has a solution. And it's as simple as one-stop shopping. From identifying energy-saving
opportunities to managing large-scale construction projects, we can help. Give us a call and we'll provide turnkey
services, including help obtaining financir..g, on projects such as:
• Lighting retrofits
• HVAC installations and improvements
. Central cooling plants
. Backup generating systems
. Energy management control systems
• Motors, boilers and steam systems
. Variable speed drives
. Natural gas
. Power -quality solutions
. Solar/ renewables
Why FPL Energy Services?
Product neutrality: You get the right technology for your business
FPL Energy Services is a subsidiary of FPL Group. We are a service provider, not a product vendor. So we have no
obligation to manufacturers. We'll find the best and most cost-effective technologies for your business, rather than
adapting equipment to your project. And, if you have a preferred vendor, we can use their technologies with no
conflict of interest.
One point of contact
With us, you have one point of contact for the entire project. The buck stops with us. And if something goes wrong,
even years down the road, you know we'll still be there to help.
A name you can trust
FPL has been in business in Florida since 1925 and knows your energy needs. We understand the special concerns of
Florida businesses. And FPL Energy Services has years of experience and expertise with the state's environmental
and building regulations.
Flexible financing arrangements
We can help you obtain the most flexible financing packages available, including rebates. We can arrange and
administer local, state and federal funding for your project. Our goal is to keep your initial investment as low as
possible while offering the greatest long-term operating savings.
'Ivo surprises' energy-efficient solutions
We make it easy for you
http://www.fples.com/largebusiness/products/fvl services_ energy_management. shtml 10/l/2010
Large Business I ESCO-Performance Contracting
Page 2 of 3
We make every step of the construction project easier for you. We'll start with a complete feasibility study, identify
energy-saving opportunities, and present a firm fixed-price proposal for your approval. This means no change orders
down the road. If you wish, we'll also include financing options available to you in the proposal.
When we get the okay, you can be confident that your problems and hassles will be eliminated. We offer turnkey
services that include:
a Energy analysis, feasibility studies and auditing
o Engineering, design and implementation
. Equipment procurement and installation
. Construction supervision and management
• Equipment commissioning
. Staff training
o Project financing arrangements
e Ongoing service and maintenance
Upgrade with no out-of-pocket expenses
With us, you can take advantage of energy -efficiency contracting, which lets you install energy-efficient equipment,
water -conservation measures and other upgrades, and pay for it out of energy savings. We will arrange financing and
make sure that the project will pay for itself in a reasonable period.
We'll help you determine which combination of projects will yield the greatest savings and fastest payback. Then,
we'll monitor the project to make sure you get the savings you're promised.
Case studies of success
Here are examples of how two of our customers benefited by making improvements using FPL Energy Services for
their energy-related projects.
Business sense: upgrades that pay for themselves
Project: Standby Generation and HVAC Installation
Business
Chicos Retailer
Improvement
Installed a new 1500 -kW standby generator for the Fort Myers
headquarters to provide complete standby or backup generation. Also
installed a new 320 -ton air conditioning system at the Georgia
distribution center to convert the facility from a ventilation -only
cooling system to an air conditioned system.
Size
Fort Myers headquarters — single -story structure with multiple offices
and open spaces; Georgia Distribution Center — 200,000 -square -foot
warehouse and office space.
Project costs
$1,644,000
Results
The design -build projects provided complete building standby/backup
power to the headquarters and comfort cooling to the distribution
center. As a result, Chicos was able to improve its ability to provide
24-hour service to its customers and improve the comfort of its
employees.
Business works: breaking down the savings
http://www.fples.com/largebusinesslproductslfpl_services_energy_management.shtm] 10/1/2010
Large Business I ESCO-Performance Contracting
Here's an example of how one FPL Energy Services customer saved by upgrading:
Project: Facility Upgrade
Business
NASA's Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and Refurbishment
Facility, Launch Control Center and Vehicle Assembly Building
Improvement
New chiller condenser pumps, replaced air compressor, lighting
upgrades and replacements, Also removed inefficient chillers and
connected three facilities to a central energy plant.
Installation cost
$3.1 million
Incentive
$46,680
Annual savings
$442,500
Start saving today
For more information about FPL Energy Services energy-saving programs, please
. Call 888-706-5685 or
. E-mail us.
Page 3 of 3
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ESC - Resources - What is Performance Contracting?
What is Energy Performance Contracting?
Since 1995
Page 1 of 3
After Improvements
Many types of building improvements can be funded through your existing
budgets— new lighting technologies, boilers and chillers, energy management
controls and swimming pool covers, to name a few.
A qualified ESCO can help you put the pieces together:
Identify and evaluate energy-saving opportunities;
Develop engineering designs and specifications;
U7,
Manage the project from design to installation to monitoring;
Arrange for financing;
c
Train your staff and provide ongoing maintenance services; and
Guarantee that savings will cover all project costs.
http://www.energyservicescoalition.org/resources/whatis.htm 10/1/2010
You enter into an agreement with a
Before improvements
❑ RESOURCES & INFO
private energy service company
❑ What is PC?
(ESCO). The ESCO will identify and
❑ 5 Steps to Success
evaluate energy-saving opportunities
❑ Workshop in a Box
and then recommend a package of
° Best Practices for State
improvements to be paid for through.:
.
Programs
savings. The ESCO will guarantee that
❑ PC Activities by State
savings meet or exceed annual
❑ Federal Programs
payments to cover all project costs—
r
usually over a contract term of seven
❑ Financings
to 10 years, If savings don't
❑ Legislation
materialize, the ESCO pays the
to
❑ Model Documents
difference, not you, To ensure savings,
❑ Links
the ESCO offers staff training and long-
term maintenance services.
Page 1 of 3
After Improvements
Many types of building improvements can be funded through your existing
budgets— new lighting technologies, boilers and chillers, energy management
controls and swimming pool covers, to name a few.
A qualified ESCO can help you put the pieces together:
Identify and evaluate energy-saving opportunities;
Develop engineering designs and specifications;
U7,
Manage the project from design to installation to monitoring;
Arrange for financing;
c
Train your staff and provide ongoing maintenance services; and
Guarantee that savings will cover all project costs.
http://www.energyservicescoalition.org/resources/whatis.htm 10/1/2010
ESC - Resources - What is Performance Contracting?
The Many Benefits
Page 2 of 3
Better Buildings
By updating or replacing equipment that is old and obsolete with newer, more
efficient technologies, you will have higher -quality systems, fewer breakdowns
and reduced maintenance. When building occupants experience improved
lighting, better air quality and more comfortable room temperatures, they are
likely to be happier and more productive.
A Wise Investment
Energy performance contracting allows you to divert funds that would be spent
on energy bills into investments in your buildings. For governments, this means
limited budgets can stretch further, putting taxpayers' money where it really
counts. For all building owners, more modern, efficient energy systems can
increase your property value and improve marketability of your buildings.
Improvements Without Sacrifice
Energy performance contracting allows you to tackle energy efficiency projects
now even if no funds are available. This means you can still afford
improvements when faced with budget cuts or competing priorities. And, with
energy performance contracting, you can take a comprehensive approach that
will optimi::e your benefits.
Cost Savings
New systems and equipment can lower your energy costs. Many building
owners see energy savings of 15 to 35 percent and also reduce their long-term
maintenance costs. You keep all the savings once the equipment is paid off,
plus any excess savings during the contract term.
Proven Technology and Expertise
Since the late 1970s, performance contracting has become a widely accepted
and reliable way to make energy improvements. Today's ESCOs use industry -
standard practices and proven energy-saving technologies and have excellent
track records for satisfying their customers. ESCOs have a financial incentive to
make sure savings are achieved throughout the contract term.
One -Stop Shopping
Performance contracting offers a streamlined approach to making facility
improvements because, with a single contract, you can tackle multiple energy-
efficient projects throughout your facility, rather then doing one project at a
time. Your ESCO can provide a full range of services and continue working with
you once the projects are complete to ensure that you get optimal long-term
energy performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
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ESC - Resources - What is Performance Contracting?
Page 3 of 3
How do I find those energy savings?
By working in partnership with a professional energy service company (ESCO),
you can tap its expertise to determine what building improvements make the
most sense for improved comfort, easier maintenance and your budget. An
ESCO's recommendations might include replacing lighting equipment,
modifying or replacing boilers and chillers, installing modern energy
management control systems, replacing motors or even installing pool covers
or more efficient kitchen equipment.
Can't I do this myself?
Sure, if you have the time, money and expertise. But an ESCO can work with
you to put together a complete package of services that meets your needs and
saves you time and money. An ESCO can identify and evaluate energy-saving
opportunities, provide engineering services, order and install equipment, and
manage all phases of construction. To complete the package, the ESCO can
guarantee the savings and even arrange financing.
How riskl is this for me?
ESCOs typically work under a performance guarantee that shifts the risk to the
ESCO. Your guaranteed energy savings pay for the upgrades, so you have no
up -front costs. If energy savings don't materialize, the ESCO pays the
difference, not you.
What can I do to get started?
It's simple: Contact the Energy Services Coalition. Act today and get those
energy savings working for you.
Click here for 5 steps to successful energy performance contracting.
Energy Services Coalition (ESC)
info@energyservicescoalition.org
Or contact the Board member nearest you.
Last Updated: 03/04/2009
http://www.energyservicescoalition.org/resources/whatis.htm 10/1/2010
Introduction to Energy Performance
Contracting
Prepared for:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
ENERGY STAR Buildings
Prepared by:
ICF International
National Association of Energy Services Companies
October 2007
Introduction
This briefing report provides a tutorial in the fundamentals of energy performance contracting
(EPC) for policy makers who need to understand how EPC fits into the broader context of energy
efficiency policy and programs.
Organization of the Paper
The paper is divided into several major sections, including:
1. Executive Summary
2. What is Enerav_Performance Contracting (EPC)
3. Brief History of EPC
4. EPC Market Size and Characteristics
5. EPC Market Drivers
6. EPC Financing
7. EPC Monitoring and Verification (M&V)
8. EPC Market Issues
9. Conclusions
1. Executive Summary
The Executive Summary introduces each of the major topics that are covered in detail in the
other sections, and includes electronic links to each of the other sections. The report is
documented throughout with references to more detailed papers and analyses of various EPC
topics that may be of interest to the reader.
1.1. What is Energy Performance Contracting (EPC)?
EPC is a turnkey service, sometimes compared to design/build construction contracting
which provides customers with a comprehensive set of energy efficiency, renewable
energy and distributed generation measures and often is accompanied with guarantees
that the savings produced by a project will be sufficient to finance the full cost of the
project. A typical EPC project is delivered by an Energy Service Company (ESCO) and
consists of the following elements:
o Turnkey Service — The ESCO provides all of the services required to design and
implement a comprehensive project at the customer facility, from the initial
energy audit through long-term Monitoring and Verification (M&V) of project
savings.
o Comprehensive Measures — The ESCO tailors a comprehensive set of measures
to fit the needs of a particular faciiity, and can include energy efficiency,
renewables, distributed generation, water conservation and sustainable materials
and operations.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 1
• Project financing —The ESCO arranges for long-term project financing that is
provided by a third -party financing company. Financing is typically in the form
of an operating lease or municipal lease.
• Project Savings Guarantee —The ESCO provides a guarantee that the savings
produced by the project will be sufficient to cover the cost of project financing for
the life of the project.
(For more detail, follow this link 2. What is Enerev Performance Contracting (EPC}?}
1.2. Brief History of EPC
The history of EPC can be usefully divided into four stages.
• The Beginning of DSM (pre -1985) — ESCOs were established to provide
manpower and systems to enable utilities to meet federal and state mandates and
offer energy conservation services.
• Emergence of EPC (1985-1993) — Utility programs evolved from purchasing
services (e.g., home energy audits) to acquiring large amounts of kW or kWh as
part of their Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs). ESCOs bid to provide the kW or
kWh and delivered turnkey projects to large industrial and institutional customers
and financed the projects themselves.
• Success and Consolidation (1994-2002) — Successful experience with EPC
documented in studies by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)
and the National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO)
encouraged the federal and state governments to promote EPC. The
implementation of the International Performance Measurement and Verification
Protocol (IPMVP), which provided standard methods for documenting project
savings, gave commercial lenders the confidence to begin financing EPC projects
on a large scale.
Pause and then Fast Growth (2003 -present) — The collapse of Enron, the
suspension of the federal ESPC program and the uncertainty about the
deregulation of the electric utility industry caused a slowdown in the growth of
EPC from 2002-2004. EPC is now growing at more than 20% per year, driven by
increasing and volatile energy prices, federal and state energy savings mandates,
the continued lack of capital and maintenance budgets for federal facilities, and
growing awareness of the need for large-scale action to limit greenhouse gas
emissions.
(For more detail, follow this link 3. Brief History of EPC}
1.3. EPC Market Size and Characteristics
A recent study by LBNL and NAESCO has documented the current size and growth
trends of the ESCO industry, as summarized in the Figure ES -1.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 2
Figure ES -I
ESCO Industry Activity, 1990-2008
6,000
22% `{
5,000 Note: growth rates are
vbased on high estimates -
Q low estimate growth : r;
> 4,000 ® high estimate
i
< based on
.3
3,000 � <,a expected
p revenue
20% growth
2,000 annusgro
3%
i d —annual
U
1,000 _ r r growth
lD tD tD kA tD %D %D 1D tD kD O O O O O O C1 OE;
iDtD to �D tD ID to Zto to O O O O O O O
O r N w -A to o V w %D O r N ZZX (.n m ^�
Year
In addition to the industry size and growth estimates, the LBNL/NAESCO report
documented several other features of the ESCO marketplace.
o ESCO Ownership — The ESCO industry has consolidated since 2000. Utility
companies abandoned the business as de -regulation stalled, and about 80% of the
total EPC business is conducted by ESCO subsidiaries of large companies,
primarily equipment manufacturers.
® Geographic Scope of Activities— About three-quarters of the total EPC business
is done by 10 national ESCO companies, and another 20%+ by regional ESCOs.
Local ESCOs, who confine their activities to one or more local markets, do less
than 5% of the national EPC business.
o Market and Project Trends — The MUSH (municipals, universities, schools, and
hospitals) market and the federal market account for about 80% of the total EPC
projects. Commercial building projects comprise about 9%, industrial projects
about 6%, and residential and public housing projects the remainder.
a Project Technologies — By dollar volume, ESCO projects are largely focused on
the following: energy efficiency (73%), renewables (10%), and distributed
generation or combined heat and power (6%). The balance of ESCO revenues is
from consulting and planning services.
® Project Contracts — About 70% of ESCO projects are performance-based, and
another 25% are designibuild or engineering, procurement, and construction.
(For more detail, follow this link 4. EPC Market Size and Characteristics)
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 3
1.4 EPC Market Drivers
The EPC market has several major drivers, including:
• Savings Mandates — Federal and state governments are increasingly mandating
aggressive energy savings goals for public facilities, but are not providing
expanded capital budgets to pay for energy efficiency improvements. In this
environment, EPC is the default method for implementing energy efficiency
projects.
• Facility Modernization — MUSH market facilities, typically starved for capital
and maintenance budgets, use EPC projects to obtain needed facility
improvements.
• Green Buildings— Facility owners who want to "green" their buildings often
implement EPC projects because "EE Pays for Green," that is, the savings
produced from energy efficiency measures helps to finance renewables measures.
• Climate Change — Energy efficiency is the first choice of organizations trying to
meet state mandates for greenhouse gas reductions. As with savings mandates,
EPC projects enable facilities to meet greenhouse gas mandates that are not
accompanied by capital budget increases.
• Utility and ISOIRTO Capacity Programs — State regulators faced with utility
applications to build a new generation of power plants are increasingly looking to
large-scale energy efficiency programs as an alternative. EPC projects, which can
be self -financed through energy savings, are an attractive alternative.
(For more detail, follow this link 5. EPC Market Drivers)
1.5 EPC Financing
EPC projects today are typically financed by third -party financial institutions using a set
of financing vehicles that are tailored to the requirements of an individual project, not by
ESCOs.
• Financing Marketplace — EPC projects are financed by large institutional
lenders that offer very competitive rates and terms, and have made billions of
dollars of financing available.
• Financing Vehicles — EPC project financiers offer a variety of financing vehicles,
including:
o Tax -Exempt Lease Purchase Agreements, also called Municipal Leases
which allow the customer to finance an EPC project without carrying a
liability on its balance sheet.
o State or Local Government Leasing Pools, sometimes called Master
Leases, which allow individual projects to lower their financing costs by
participating in a larger aggregated financing.
o State or Local Government Bonds, which can offer slightly lower
interest rates than Municipal Leases, but are time-consuming to execute
and often require voter approval.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 4
o Revolving Loan Pools, which offer subsidized interest rates, but have
multi-year waiting lists.
o Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), in which the customer buys the
output (e.g., kWh or pounds of steam) of a distributed generation project,
rather than the actual project.
(For more detail follow this link 6. EPC Financing)
1.6 EPC Monitoring and Verification (M&19
The Monitoring and Verification of EPC project savings has evolved in stages which
parallel the development of the EPC market outlined above.
o Pre -1985 — M&V systems were initially used to track the progress of first -
generation utility DSM programs, and tended to measure activities (e.g., number
of audits delivered) rather than outcomes (e.g., kWh delivered).
® 1985-1993 — ESCOs and customers struggled to develop replicable M&V
systems for unfamiliar technologies, and often used "shared savings" contracts in
which the ESCO was paid a share of project savings to mitigate perceived
customer risk.
• 1994-2002 — Successful project experience proved to customers that EPC
projects involved little technological risk, and the development of the
International. Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) gave
institutional financiers a standard method for validating project savings.
0 2003 -present — The emergence of various new EPC market drivers (see above) is
pushing the development of a new generation of M&V that will validate new
streams of EPC project value, such as operations and maintenance (O&M)
savings, greenhouse gas reduction and electricity system capacity credits.
(For more detail, follow this link 7. Performance Contract M&V)
1.7 EPC Market Constraints
Several factors are holding back the growth of the EPC market, including:
o M&V Limitations — New systems are required to make the calculation of project
energy savings more understandable to non-technical policy -makers who are
depending on energy efficiency to meet public policy goals such as energy
savings and greenhouse gas reduction mandates.
® Shortage of Skilled Personnel — ESCOs, utilities, state regulatory agencies and
customers are struggling to find the skilled engineering and technical personnel
required to implement large-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy
programs, and to operate and maintain energy efficiency and renewable energy
technologies.
G Specific Market Barriers — Each of the major EPC market segments suffers
from it own constraints.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 5
o The Federal and MUSH Markets are hindered by landlord agency and
financial control bureaucracies that resist large-scale program
implementation in the face of executive and legislative mandates.
o The Commercial Real Estate Market is hindered by the refusal of
building owners to encumber their buildings with the debt required to
finance comprehensive EPC projects.
o The Industrial Market is hindered by the insecurity of most American
manufacturing companies, which results in project payback requirements,
typically less than two years, which preclude comprehensive EPC
projects.
(For more detail, follow this link 8. Performance Contract Market Constraints)
1.8 Conclusions
The importance of the EPC market can be summarized with the major conclusions of the
recent LBNL/NAESCO survey outlined above.
• The annual dollar volume of ESCO projects today is approximately equal to the
combined annual dollar volume of all U.S. utility DSM programs.
• ESCOs and EPC projects can be a crucial component of the rapidly expanding (in
some states) or emerging (in other states) utility DSM programs.
• ESCOs and EPC projects can be important contributors to the development of
clean energy, sustainability and climate change mitigation strategies, particularly
in urban areas.
(For more detail, follow this link 9. Conclusion and Summary)
2. What is Energy Performance Contracting (EPC)?
EPC is a turnkey service, sometimes compared to designibuild construction contracting which
provides customers with a comprehensive set of energy efficiency, renewable energy and
distributed generation measures and often is accompanied with guarantees that the savings
produced by a project will be sufficient to finance the full cost of the project.
2.1 Turnkey Service
In an EPC, an ESCO can provide the full range of services required to complete the
project, including:
• Energy audit
• Design engineering
• Construction management
• Arrangement of long-term project financing
• Commissioning
• Operations & Maintenance
• Savings Monitoring & Verification
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 6
Not every EPC project includes all of these services; the choice of the exact mix of
services in a project is made by the customer.
2.2 Comprehensive Measures
In an EPC, the ESCO tailors a comprehensive set of measures to fit the needs of the
customer, including any of the following:
• Lighting
• Heating, air conditioning and ventilation
Control systems
• Building envelope improvements (insulation, roofs, windows, etc.),
• Cogeneration and CHP
• Demand Response
• Renewables and biomass
• Water and sewer — metering and use reduction
• Sustainable materials and operations
ESCOs are constantly adding new measures to their projects, in response to customer
requests, but ESCOs should not be considered vehicles to push new technologies into the
marketplace. ESCOs and their customers tend to be fairly conservative when selecting
technologies for projects, because the total cost of most ESCO projects are paid from
energy savings, often secured with financial guarantees. This is further discussed below.
2.3 EPC Project Financing
Most EPC projects are financed with long-term debt or leases, though some customers
are able to pay a portion or all of the cost of an EPC project with capital budget
allocations. In the early days of EPC, ESCOs typically provided both project technical
services and project financing, because financial institutions did not understand EPC and
were unwilling to finance EPC projects. Some ESCOs also acted as product distributors,
because normal construction distributors were not willing to stock newfangled devices
like electronic ballasts for fluorescent light fixtures. But ESCOs no longer provide EPC
project financing, because there is now a robust, competitive marketplace of major
financial institutions that provide it.
2.4 Project Savings Guarantees
Many EPC projects involve guarantees made by the ESCO to the customer that the
project energy savings will be sufficient to pay the full cost of the long-term project
financing. The form of the guarantees varies between projects, because the guarantees
are designed to fit the requirements of particular customers, as well as federal and state
legislation and regulations.
3. Brief History of EPC
The history of the performance contracting industry can be usefully divided into four stages.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 7
3.1 Pre -1985: The Beginning of DSM
The seeds of the performance contracting industry were sown in the late 1970s and early
1990s, when the federal government and state regulatory agencies mandated utilities to
provide energy conservation services primarily to residential customers. Energy service
companies were founded to provide services -- manpower, energy audit systems, project
financing and construction tracking systems -- to utilities on a subcontract basis.
3.2 1985-1993: Emergence of Performance Contracting
The second stage of the performance contracting industry began in the mid- I980s, when
state utility regulators decided that energy conservation -- now called energy efficiency --
could provide thousands of MW of resources at a time when new electric generating
technologies (principally thermal steam and nuclear plants) were getting significantly
more expensive and difficult to site. Utilities were ordered to produce Integrated
Resource Plans (IRPs) which usually included an energy efficiency component, and
procured bulk quantities of energy efficiency resources, often through bids that required
turnkey project delivery. A new breed of energy service companies emerged which
implemented these turnkey projects for large industrial and institutional customers. The
projects, however, required new types of M&V protocols that accurately measured the
energy and demand savings produced by a project.
3.3 1994-2002: Success and Consolidation
The advent of the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol
(IPMVP) (see discussion in M&V section below), as well as the body of project savings
histories, enabled the performance contracting business to enter a fast -growth stage in the
late 1990s and early 2000s, as documented in a series of reports on the industry produced
by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and NAESCO, with sponsorship and
funding from the U.S. DOE (see www.lbl.gov). Commercial lenders jumped into the
business, and quickly drove down the cost of project financing through competition and
the development of new financing vehicles, such as low-cost municipal leases with
ESCO savings guarantees. M&V costs were substantially reduced by using the M&V
options set forth in the IPMVP. Customers saw that a much larger percentage of the total
project costs were being delivered to them as efficiency improvements rather than being
consumed as project overhead. Customers also saw that performance contracting was a
viable way for them to address capital equipment and maintenance issues that they could
not address adequately, if at all, through their capital budget processes.
The federal government and state governments adopted performance contracting as the
preferred method for producing energy efficiency improvements in large facilities.
California and New York implemented standard performance contracting programs as the
largest programs in their state energy efficiency program portfolios, pouring hundreds of
millions of dollars into project incentives. Many utilities decided that they needed energy
service capabilities to compete in the re -regulating energy markets, and so purchased
ESCOs or started their own ESCOs.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 8
3.4 2003 - Present: Pause, and now Fast Growth and New
Services
The spectacular collapse of Enron, the one-year sunset of the federal performance
contracting program, and the diminished prospects for the de -regulated retail energy
business all combined to moderate ESCO growth in 2002-2004. The industry
consolidated as many utilities folded up or sold their ESCOs. Successful ESCO
companies used this hiatus to broaden their offerings to new types of customers, and to
integrate renewables and "green" technologies into their product and service portfolios,
allowing them to be ready for the next growth spurt, which began in late 2004, according
to the most recent NAESCO/LBNL ESCO industry survey.
That growth is driven by a number of factors, including:
• High and volatile energy prices;
• A renewed emphasis by federal and state policy makers on energy efficiency and
renewables delivered in performance contracts;
• The continuing lack of capital and maintenance funds for large facilities;
• A renewed interest by federal and state regulators in acquiring energy efficiency and
renewable resources as part of an integrated portfolio which can best serve the needs
of ratepayers; and,
• The growing awareness of the need to quickly implement large-scale programs to
limit production of greenhouse gases, and vulnerability to national energy security
risks.
4. EPC Market Size and Characteristics
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has studied and reported on the growth of
the ESCO industry for the last decade. The latest in its series of reports was issued in May,
2007, and the chapter on ESCO industry size and growth is excerpted from the paragraph
immediately below through the bottom of page 16 of this report.
Previous LBNL/NAESCO reports have discussed ESCO industry growth and trends from the
early 1990s to 2000 (Goldman et al. 2002), the context for the ESCO business model among
public and institutional customers (Hopper et al. 2005) and ESCO project characteristics, energy
savings and economic performance based on a database of ESCO projects (Goldman et al. 2002,
Hopper et al. 2005).
In the following sections of this brief, we discuss the role of ESCOs in the context of the broader
energy efficiency, renewables and onsite generation markets, present updated industry size and
growth estimates as of 2006, and examine the structure of the industry in more detail.
' "A Survey of the U.S. ESCO Industry: Market Growth and Development from 2000 to 2006", Hopper, Goldman,
Gilligan, Singer and Birr, May 2007, Ernest Orlando Laurence Berkeley National Laboratory, available at
hiip:;feetdlbl.Qov/ea/EA,fS/EMS bubs.html
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 9
4.1 ESCO Industry Context
Any discussion of the role of ESCOs in delivering energy efficiency and related energy
services must begin by defining what an ESCO is. In this study, we adopt the same
definition as in previous reports (Goldman et al. 2002, Hopper et al. 2005):
An ESCO is a company that provides energy -efficiency -related and other value-
added services and for which performance contracting is a core part of its
energy -efficiency services business.
While ESCOs may offer other services beyond energy -efficiency offerings, we only
consider them ESCOs if energy efficiency is a major product offering. Similarly, while
companies may perform some projects on a design/build or fee-for-service basis, we only
consider them to be ESCOs if they offer performance contracting—projects in which the
ESCO assumes some performance risk during the project's economic lifetime —as a core
business line?
Conversely, this definition excludes companies such as engineering companies,
contractors, equipment manufacturers, or construction firms that may offer energy -
efficiency services but do not assume performance risk for their projects. It also excludes
companies that only engage in other customer -side energy services—such as design and
installation of onsite generation or renewable energy systems—without also deploying
energy -efficiency measures. Both types of companies play important roles in the broader
markets for energy efficiency, clean energy and other customer -side energy services, but
are distinct from ESCOs, and are therefore not included in this survey.
Policymakers considering the role of ESCOs in procuring energy efficiency need to be
aware of the market segments in which ESCOs work. Among the three major energy -
consuming sectors in the economy (i.e., transportation, industry, and buildings), ESCOs
have been the most active in the buildings sector. Building efficiency improvements can
be targeted to existing buildings (retrofits and/or equipment replacement), or new
construction.
Historically, ESCOs have primarily, pursued energy -efficiency improvements in existing
buildings. Within this market, nearly all ESCOs have targeted performance contracting
offerings to larger customers. In part, this is because the transaction costs in developing
and implementing. performance contracts are relatively high.3 As a result, very few
ESCOs work in the residential market, with those that do targeting larger multi -family
and public housing facilities. Among non-residential customers, ESCOs have had most
success in public and institutional markets—federal, state and local government facilities,
schools, universities/colleges and hospitals. ESCOs are also active in the commercial and
industrial sectors, but have had more limited success in penetrating these markets.4 Other
types of service providers, including equipment and controls manufacturers, engineering
2 See Hopper et al. (2005) for a detailed discussion of different types of performance contracts.
3 See Hopper et at. (2005) for a discussion of the context, motivations for, and barriers to performance contracting in
public and institutional markets.
The proportional ESCO industry activity in various market segments is provided in section 0.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 10
and construction firms, various types of contractors (heating and air conditioning,
controls, windows, lighting, and insulation), and energy consulting firms also provide
efficiency services to residential and commercial/industrial customers.
For new construction, the adoption of strategies such as building efficiency codes and
standards, design assistance, commissioning, targeted incentives offered by utility energy
efficiency programs, energy consumption labeling programs, and training and
certification programs for energy-efficient builders can be very effective at bringing
about large and lasting energy savings. Owners/developers of new buildings have not
been particularly receptive to performance contracting for a variety of reasons (e.g.,
difficulties in establishing a "baseline" energy usage level against which to compare
savings, length of contract term due to the short-term perspective of some real estate
developers, misplaced or "split" incentives which separate responsibilities for making
capital investments and paying operating costs). Recently, some of the larger ESCOs
have begun responding to owners' interest in green buildings (i.e., achieving LEED
certification) and are offering various energy-related services that support green building
certification processes.
4.2 Current Market Size and Growth
In the recent L13NUNAESC0 company survey, ESCOs were asked to provide their revenues
from energy services' in 2006, as well as average annual growth rates experienced for the period
from 200446 and projected for 2006-08.6 We combined the results with data from our last
industry survey, conducted in 2001, (Goldman et al. 2002) in Figure 4-1.
We estimate that industry revenues in 2006 were about $3.6 billion (our low and high
estimates are $3.58 and $3.63 billion). By comparison, Goldman et al. (2002) estimated
industry revenues of about $2 billion in 2000. Based on ESCOs' reported growth
expectations, we project annual revenues of $5.2-5.5 billion in 2008.
5 We defined energy services to include projects such as performance contracts, design/build projects, engineering,
procurement & construction services (EPCS) projects, and consulting that involved energy efficiency or other
energy-related services, including onsite generation projects for end users. We specifically asked companies not to
include revenues from retail commodity sales or projects built to supply power to wholesale markets.
6 For companies that did not respond to the survey, we developed high and low revenue estimates through a Delphi
survey.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 11
Figure 4-1. ESCO Industry Activity: 1900-2008
0
22%
F- N N N N N N
tD 10 1D to to ko tD LD ID �D O O O O O O O
tD to tO tD kD LD LO LO tD 1D O O O O O O O
O N N W ? U1 D1 V 00 t0 O N W -A N (71
Year
based on
revenue
Although no data are available for the period from 2001 to 2003', the estimates for 2000
(from Goldman et al. 2002) and 2004 (from this survey) imply drastically reduced
growth—down to 3% per year from 20% in the 1990s. This slowdown can be attributed
to a number of factors:
Stalled retail competition—The ESCO industry and many observers expected the
advent of electric restructuring to provide a significant boost to ESCOs. In states that
allowed retail competition, retail electric suppliers were expected to offer their
customers optimized "bundles" of commodity and value-added services (including
energy efficiency). However, repercussions from the California electricity crisis of
2000-2001 led a number of states to reconsider the implementation of electric
industry restructuring in general, and their retail market designs in particular. For
example, some states suspended or delayed retail access for some customer groups
that had already been approved by state legislation (i.e., California, Nevada, New
Mexico, Arizona, Okln.homa and Montana), while other states decided not to move
forward with retail competition at all. As retail competition stalled, a number of
utilities that had acquired or started in-house ESCOs as part of their broader national
and, in some cases, international corporate positioning began to reconsider whether to
continue this line of business, which typically involved retail operations outside of
their local service territories.8
o The "Enron effect"—The Enron scandal and bankruptcy of Enron Energy Services
had direct and indirect short-term effects on the overall ESCO industry. Enron Energy
' It would have been impossible to reconstruct industry revenues in the early 2000's from surveys because many of
the companies that were operating at that time are no longer in business.
a When interest in retail competition by policymakers looked to be a national phenomenon in the mid to late 1990s,
some utilities had viewed ESCOs as a strategy to prepare for retail competition and to establish a presence in
geographic regions and markets outside their local service territories.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 12
6,000
{f}
5,00 0
Note: growth ates are
based on high estimates
21.
Q low estimate
4,000
® high estimate
t
Q
3,000
--
V)
20%
c
2,000
annual gro —
--
ti
G
3%
0
1,000;
5
t annual
w
a.
growth
0
22%
F- N N N N N N
tD 10 1D to to ko tD LD ID �D O O O O O O O
tD to tO tD kD LD LO LO tD 1D O O O O O O O
O N N W ? U1 D1 V 00 t0 O N W -A N (71
Year
based on
revenue
Although no data are available for the period from 2001 to 2003', the estimates for 2000
(from Goldman et al. 2002) and 2004 (from this survey) imply drastically reduced
growth—down to 3% per year from 20% in the 1990s. This slowdown can be attributed
to a number of factors:
Stalled retail competition—The ESCO industry and many observers expected the
advent of electric restructuring to provide a significant boost to ESCOs. In states that
allowed retail competition, retail electric suppliers were expected to offer their
customers optimized "bundles" of commodity and value-added services (including
energy efficiency). However, repercussions from the California electricity crisis of
2000-2001 led a number of states to reconsider the implementation of electric
industry restructuring in general, and their retail market designs in particular. For
example, some states suspended or delayed retail access for some customer groups
that had already been approved by state legislation (i.e., California, Nevada, New
Mexico, Arizona, Okln.homa and Montana), while other states decided not to move
forward with retail competition at all. As retail competition stalled, a number of
utilities that had acquired or started in-house ESCOs as part of their broader national
and, in some cases, international corporate positioning began to reconsider whether to
continue this line of business, which typically involved retail operations outside of
their local service territories.8
o The "Enron effect"—The Enron scandal and bankruptcy of Enron Energy Services
had direct and indirect short-term effects on the overall ESCO industry. Enron Energy
' It would have been impossible to reconstruct industry revenues in the early 2000's from surveys because many of
the companies that were operating at that time are no longer in business.
a When interest in retail competition by policymakers looked to be a national phenomenon in the mid to late 1990s,
some utilities had viewed ESCOs as a strategy to prepare for retail competition and to establish a presence in
geographic regions and markets outside their local service territories.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 12
Services was a relatively large ESCO. Thus, its demise had a direct impact on
aggregate ESCO industry size for several years afterwards. The indirect effects on
other ESCOs may have been even more significant. Fallout from the Enron scandal
undermined accepted accounting methods for energy-related projects. Specifically,
concerns about off -balance -sheet financing raised questions about the classification of
debt in performance contracts. There were also marketing implications. The Enron
scandal made some large customers more wary of contracting with ESCOs,
particularly in arrangements that involved bundling of commodity and other value-
added services (including energy efficiency) in which Enron Energy Services had
specialized and subsequently abandoned.
® Sunset of Federal Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPQ legislation —
The legislation that authorized federal agencies to enter into long-term performance
contracts with ESCOs expired in 2003 and was not re -instated for a full year. Because
the federal government had been a significant source of new market growth for
ESCOs, the lack of project activity had a significant impact on those ESCOs that
were active in the federal market.
e Industry consolidation— A series of buyouts and mergers resulted in significant
consolidation in the ESCO industry, driven in part by the market and industry events
highlighted in this section. In the last LBNLlNAESCO survey conducted in 2000, we
identified 63 ESCOs that were active. In the 2006 survey, we identified 46 ESCOs.
Based on our survey results, the industry showed significant recovery in recent years,
with growth again reaching 20% per year for 2004-06. This can be attributed to several
factors: rising energy prices; renewed interest by customers, utilities and policymakers in
energy efficiency and climate change; the reauthorization of federal ESPCs and the
adoption of aggressive energy savings goals for federal agencies by the U.S. Congress in
2005 (EPACT 2005); and the ramping up of public -benefit and ratepayer -funded energy
efficiency and renewable energy programs. ESCOs are projecting continued growth, at
similar rates, for the next two years.
4.3 Industry Structure and Ownership
The trend toward industry consolidation mentioned above is supported by our survey
results. As of 2000, Goldman et al. (2002) reported that thirteen companies with revenues
over $30 million per year accounted for approximately 75% of industry revenues. In
2006, eight companies had revenues over $100 million in 2006; together, they account
for 79% of industry activity. In addition, the thirteen largest companies now account for
over 90% of industry revenues (based on our high revenue estimate).
Yet these results belie the fact that the ESCO industry is characterized by a diversity of
companies, large and small. In the following sections, we dissect the industry to examine
trends in ESCO ownership and geographic scope.
4.3.1 Company Ownership
To examine trends in ESCO composition and ownership, we classified companies
according to the following four categories:
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 13
• Independent ESCOs—ESCOs that are "independent" in the sense that they
are not owned by an electric or gas utility, an equipment/controls
manufacturer, or energy supply company; many "independent" ESCOs
concentrate on a few geographic markets and/or target specific customer
market segments;
• Building equipment manufacturers—ESCOs owned by building equipment
or controls manufacturers; many of these ESCOs have an extensive network
of branch offices that provides a national (and international) footprint, with
sales forces and specialized national staffs providing packages of energy
efficiency, renewables, and distributed generation "solutions" to customer
market segments;
• Utility companies—ESCOs owned by regulated U.S. electric or gas utilities;
many utility -owned ESCOs currently concentrate on regional markets or focus
on the service territories of their parent utilities; and
• Other energy/engineering companies--ESCOs owned by international
oil/gas companies, non-regulated energy suppliers, or large engineering firms.
These different types of ownership structure may have some bearing on
companies' types of service offerings and/or their business and marketing
approaches. For example, in marketing and developing projects, "independent"
ESCOs that are not affiliated with equipment manufacturers or utilities often tout
the fact that they do not promote specific technologies or products. However,
because of brand loyalty to the equipment part of the business and overall
customer brand recognition, ESCOs affiliated with controls or building equipment
manufacturers may have certain marketing advantages. In addition, many ESCOs
owned by controls or equipment manufacturers are large and tend to have the
financial resources to compete in markets where transaction costs are high.
Similarly, ESCOs owned by utilities often initially go after business opportunities
that are geographically close to their local service territory where they have name
recognition and/or customer contacts. Finally, ESCOs affiliated with large
engineering companies often have large in-house engineering staff compared to
other types of ESCOs, which they may tout as.a competitive advantage.
Figure 4-2 compares U.S. ESCO industry ownership, in terms of number of
companies and revenues, in 2000 and 2006.9
Independent ESCOs are quite numerous but, with some exceptions; most are
relatively small (e.g., 61% of companies comprise only 21 % of revenues in 2006).
The industry share of independents increased both in terms of numbers and
revenues between 2000 and 2006.
v The revenue breakdown is based on the high estimates for 2000 and 2006.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 14
The market share of ESCOs that are subsidiaries of building equipment and
controls manufacturers has remained fairly constant in terms of number of
companies (13-15%), but their share of industry revenues has increased
substantially, from 27% in 2000 to 59% in 2006. These companies have
aggressively built their businesses in the last several years, through multiple
acquisitions and also by taking advantage of synergies with other business lines
within their parent companies (e.g., bundling energy efficiency services with
facility management, or outsourcing of facility operations and maintenance).
Figure 4-2. Trends in Industry Shares by Company Ownership
6° 2000
number of
companies 2006
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
10%
a 24% 2000
revenues
10°!0 2006
$OB $111 $2B $3B $415
independent ESCOs
® building equipment manufacturers
utility companies
Q other energy/engineering companies
The number of utility -owned ESCOs has declined considerably, from 35% in
2000 to only 15% in 2006. In the 1990s, a number of utilities acquired ESCOs as
a strategy for competing in retail electricity markets and establishing a presence in
geographic regions and markets outside their local service territory. Since 2000,
however, a number of utilities have made strategic decisions to focus on their core
regulated businesses or developing power generation, rather than retail energy
services or power marketing, and thus decided to sell or close their ESCO
businesses. In addition, some utilities felt that their ESCO subsidiaries were not
producing revenues in line with their rate -based businesses and thus were not, on
the whole, compatible with their corporate financial objectives. Some utilities also
discovered that long ESCO project sales cycles and tough market competition
resulted in uncertain returns on investments of their ESCO subsidiaries. Based on
our survey results, it appears that those utility -owned ESCOs who stayed in
business were mostly smaller players—the revenue share of utility -owned ESCOs
has dropped more dramatically than the number of companies, from 39% in 2000
to only 9% in 2006. Those utility -owned ESCOs who remain tend to be local or
regional, rather than national, in their market focus.
The share of companies owned by oil and gas companies, unregulated electric or
gas suppliers, or large engineering companies has increased from 6% in 2000 to
9% in 2006. At the same time, their revenue share has decreased substantially,
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 16
from 24% to 10%. In part, this is attributable to the Enron bankruptcy—Enron
Energy Services comprised a sizeable portion of the revenues for this category in
our 2000 survey. But this category is also changing structurally. The entry of
large engineering firms into the ESCO market is a new development since the
LBNL/NAESCO 2000 survey. If successful, these new players may open the door
to a new trend in ESCO ownership and help grow the overall market.
4.3.2 Geographic Scope
We also distinguished ESCOs as local, regional, or national players (see Figure
4-3). We define these categories as follows:
o Local—ESCOs that restrict their activities to one or more local markets, and
do not aspire to cover an entire region or the whole country;
o Regional—Companies that restrict their activities to one or more regions,
either covering the region(s) with offices or responding to program
opportunities within the region(s); and
o National—ESCOs that either have an established national presence, or, are
willing and have the capability to establish branch offices anywhere they see
significant business opportunities.
Figure 4-3. Industry Shares of ;.,ocal, Regional and National ESCOs
regional
18
• r.
—.1101
$2,761M
number of companies 2006 revenues
ial
As might be expected, local companies tend to be small and relatively
numerous—they account for 39% of companies in our survey, but only 3% of
revenues. However, we emphasize that the LBNL/NAESCO survey probably did
not identify all the local ESCOs. As a result, the number of ESCOs with a local
focus is likely higher than our survey results might suggest. Regional companies
comprise 21 % of revenues and 39% of companies. The national companies make
up about 22% of companies in our survey, but contribute over three quarters of
industry revenues.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 16
4.4 Market and Project- Trends
In the LBNL/NAESCO2007 survey, we asked ESCOs to provide a breakdown of their
2006 revenues among various market segments, contract types and technology/project
types. Thirty-two companies with combined 2006 revenues of $3.515 billion (97% of our
high 2006 estimate) provided this information. We report the results in the following
sections, comparing results to previously collected information where possible.
4.4.1 Market Segments
ESCO industry revenues for various customer market segments as of 2006 are
represented in Figure 4-4.
Figure 4-4. 2006 ESCO Industry Revenues by Market Segment
58% L, ``� commercial
9%
industrial
6%
In the U.S., the "MUSH" markets—municipal and state governments, universities
and colleges, K-12 schools, and hospitals—have historically hosted the largest
share of ESCO industry activity. The survey results for 2006 indicate that this is
still the case; MUSH markets comprise 58% of industry revenues, worth over $2
billion.
The importance of the federal market has increased dramatically in the last
decade, 0 According to survey results, it now represents 22% of industry revenues
($760 million), despite the hiatus in the ESPC enabling legislation in 2003-2004.
It is important to note that ESCOs provide energy services to federal agencies
through a variety of financing mechanisms. Some of this work consists of
performance contracting (i.e., ESPC projects), but ESCOs may also provide
energy services to federal facilities on a design/build basis or act as contractors
implementing Utility Energy Services contracts (UESC). To calibrate our federal
sector estimates, we gathered investment information from the federal
government under the following financing mechanisms:
10 See Hopper et al. (2005) for a discussion of procurement mechanisms that have enabled the growth of the federal
market.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 17
o Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCY—In FY2006, the total
investment in Energy Savings Performance Contracts by various federal
agencies (including the DOE Super-ESPC program, Army, Navy, and Air
Force) was $321 million (Vallina 2007; FEMP 2007).
s Utility Energy Services Contracts (UESC)—Federal agencies may also
invest in energy -efficiency improvements through the UESC financing
mechanism, in which a local utility develops and manages the installation of
energy -efficiency projects at federal facilities; ESCOs are sometimes selected
to implement these projects. UESC activity in FY2006 was about $70 million,
which is somewhat lower than in previous years (Vallina 2007).
o Direct Congressional appropriations—Another $276 million in federal
project investment is accounted for by design/build or EPCS (Engineering,
Procurement, - nd Construction Services) projects that are paid out of
agencies' appropriated budgets.
o Enhanced Use Leasing (EUL)—A number of energy projects are being
financed at federal facilities through enhanced used leasing (EUL), although
we were unable to find an estimate of EUL activity in 2006.
Based on recent data compiled by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB),
energy -efficiency investment at federal facilities in 2006 is estimated to total
about $668 million (Vallina 2007). Our estimate of ESCO activity in the federal
sector of $760 miliion in 2006, exceeds the activity reported by the federal
government accounting by about 14%. Some of this discrepancy may be
explained by the fact that some large ESCOs have begun including energy -
efficiency services as an add-on to existing operations, maintenance and/or
facility management contracts at federal sites. This activity may be included in the
ESCO's estimates of their federal market activity, yet not included in the federal
government's accounting because it does not fall under the financing mechanisms
typically associated with federal sector energy efficiency.
According to our survey, only 18% of ESCO industry revenues in 2006 were
attributable to private sector market segments (i.e., industrial, commercial and
residential). This is in contrast to ESCO market activity in several other countries
(e.g. most Asian and some European countries), which are dominated by
industrial and commercial customers (Vine 2005). The industrial market (6% of
industry revenues) has been challenging for U.S. ESCOs to penetrate for a
number of reasons: high customer investment hurdle rates, low priority for energy
projects compared to investments with a more direct impact on sales, limited non -
process related energy demand, limited ability of some ESCOs to work on core
industrial processes, customer hesitancy to allow outsiders to alter industrial
processes, and limited replicability of project designs (Elliot 2002).
Commercial market activity is slightly higher than the industrial market, but at
9% of revenues it remains a relatively small market segment. Barriers to ESCO
activity in the commercial sector include misplaced or "split" incentives which
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 18
separate responsibilities for making capital investments and paying operating
costs that limit interest in long-term performance contracts (e.g., building
owner/tenant relationships). Other barriers include the relatively short terms of
tenant leases (e.g., one to five years), high investment hurdle rates for non -owner
occupied commercial space and the unwillingness of some owners to take on
long-term debt, which might interfere with their ability to "flip' their properties.
However, increasing interest in green building improvements may drive the level
of energy services investment in this sector going forward.
Residential and public housing markets together account for 5% of industry
revenues, and are only targeted by a handful of ESCOs. Because of the difficulties
working in these markets—high transaction costs, institutional barriers—they
remain a niche market for ESCOs. In the case of public housing authorities,
significant project delays have also arisen from inconsistencies between the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and its field offices in
interpreting statutes and regulations affecting housing authority project
implementation details. Nonetheless, ESCOs have achieved significant
penetration in the public housing market. Revised legislation, extended allowable
contract terms (from 12 to 20 years), rising energy and water costs, and
aggressive marketing by ESCOs have contributed to significant expansion of the
public housing market in the last few years.
4.5 Project(Technology Types
The "conventional wisdom" in the ESCO industry is that there has been a trend in recent
years toward larger projects involving onsite generation, large central plant facilities, and
renewable energy technologies. In the survey, we asked ESCOs to allocate their 2006
revenues among various project and technology strategies.
Our survey results indicate that energy efficiency still makes up a major share of industry
activity (see Figure 4-5). At almost three quarters of industry revenues, ESCO-deployed
energy efficiency amounts to an approximately $2.5 billion per year market.
Figure 4-5. 2006 ESCO Industry Revenues by Technology/Project Type
EPA Introduction to Perfonnance Contracting Page 19
energy E
73%
engine/turbine generators
61% — onsite renewables
10%
8%
3%
er
ng/master planning
Engine/turbine generators installed to serve customer supply needs comprise 6% of
industry revenues ($21,8 million).". A larger share was reported for renewables (10%)
although when probed some large companies told us they had included activi in the
green buildings market, which is primarily new construction, in this category. 2 Thus, the
actual investment by ESCOs in renewable generating technologies such as photovoltaics,
wind power and geothermal heat pumps is somewhat lower than the results in Figure 4-5
may suggest. In many cases, ESCOs are leveraging incentives offered by public benefit
funds in some states for emerging renewable technologies as well as federal and state tax
credits and bundling renewables with energy efficiency improvements in order to
enhance the overall economic attractiveness of these projects.
Consulting and master planning (in which the ESCO provides a host of energy
management services, including billing, commodity procurement or consulting,
recommending efficiency improvements, etc.) and other services (typically operations
and maintenance (O&M), water conservation, or non -energy improvements reported
separately by the ESCOs) make up just over 10% of industry revenues.
4.6 Contractual Arrangements
We also asked ESCOs to breakdown their 2006 revenues into several types of
contracting vehicles. Goldman et al. (2002) estimated that performance contracting—
projects in which the ESCO assumes some portion of the project performance risk—
accounted for 60% of ESCO industry activity in 1996-2000. This was down from the
same study's estimate of 74% for 1990-95.
Based on our 2007 survey, performance-based contracts accounted for 69% of industry
activity in 2006 (see Figure 4-6). This represents 16% average annual growth in revenues
from performance-based agreements since 2000. We believe this increase is explained by
two phenomena:
�' Some ESCOs have constructed large power generating facilities to sell power into wholesale markets. We
specifically asked companies not to include revenues from such projects in their survey responses.
I Some ESCOs have indicated that they believe that the `greening" of buildings is emerging as a major industry
driver, and are experimenting with project approaches that "use energy efficiency to pay for Green."
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 20
69%
State and federal performance contracting requirements
All states (with the exception of Wyoming) allow performance contracting projects in
various institutional markets (e.g. K-12 schools, state and local governments,
universities/colleges). A number of these states have ramped up their energy -
efficiency project activity in public buildings in recent years in conjunction with
relatively rigorous guarantee requirements (e.g., Pennsylvania. Kansas, North
Carolina, Kentucky, and Texas). This phenomenon, plus the growth in performance
contracting in the federal market, has probably led to an overall increase in energy
efficiency performance contracting since 2000.
Increased use of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)
In a power purchase agreement, the ESCO maintains ownership of the generating
assets and sells commodity (e.g., electricity, steam, hot water) to the customer.13 The
contract specifies a guaranteed price and/or amenity output level that must be met by
the ESCO, so it can be considered performance-based. These projects often target on-
site generation and/or central plant opportunities. Because they tend to be very large
projects, they may contribute substantially to the observed growth in performance-
based agreements among ESCOs since our 2002 report. 14
Figure 4-6. 2006 ESCO Industry Revenues by Contract Type
design/build or EPCS
25%
other
2% consulting services
4%
Non -performance-based agreements, such as design/build and "engineering,
procurement and construction services" (EPCS) projects, account for about 25%
of reported 2006 industry revenues (see Figure 4-6).15
13 These contracts are also referred to as "build/own/operate" agreements.
" in this study, we broadened our definition of "performance-based agreements" to include power purchase and
build/own/operate agreements as well as guaranteed and shared savings (see Hopper et al. (2005) for descriptions of
these types of performance agreements). Because power purchase agreements were not that prevalent in 2000,
including this type of performance agreement in our definition in Goldman et al. (2002) would not have changed the
2000 results significantly.
15 Neither design/build nor EPCS projects entail ESCO assumption of project performance risk (e.g., energy
savings) once the project has been completed. Under a design/build contract, a single entity (i.e. the ESCO) designs
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 21
Finally, a small additional share of industry revenues is attributable to consulting
services and other energy services (typically O&M contracts) reported as distinct
revenue streams by ESCOs.
5. EPC Market Drivers
The EPC market segments that are described and quantified above are motivated by
several distinct market drivers, which are discussed in this section of the paper.
5.1 Savings Mandates
The federal government and a number of state governments have enacted
mandatory energy savings initiatives for buildings under their control during the
past fifteen years. In the early 1990's,the federal government led the way by
imposing on all federal agencies what were considered to be very aggressive
savings targets. These targets have been increased three times since their initial
imposition because they have, in the aggregate, been achieved, though the
performance differs significantly between agencies. States, seeing the results
realized by the federal government, began imposing their own energy savings
mandates several years ago. It is not clear how successful, in aggregate, these
state mandates wilt be largely because, in many instances, the mandates have not
imposed aggressive energy savings targets.
However, these mandates still comprise a major driver for federal and MUSH
market EPC projects because they were not accompanied by increases in capital
funding required to implement the kind of comprehensive energy efficiency
programs required to meet the mandates. Thus, both federal and state agencies
turn to EPCs because they can be financed outside the government capital
appropriation process.
5.2 Facility Modernization
A second major driver, particularly for the MUSH market, is the need for facility
modernization in state and local government facilities. The condition of the
physical plants of government institutions, as documented in frequent news
stories and reports, ranges from neglected to deplorable, and facility managers are
often faced with building equipment crises, such as the imminent demise of a
boiler plant, which require immediate attention. In the absence of capital
appropriations, which are rare, an EPC can provide the capital required to replace
the failing equipment. Projects driven by the need for facility modernization are
typically comprehensive, because the short -payback measures, such as lighting
retrofits, generate the savings required to pay for the longer -payback measures,
such as a boiler replacement, which are often driving the project. It is important
to note that the measures in an EPC project improve building performance as well
as saving energy. Lighting, temperature conditions and ventilation are all
and builds the project under a single agreement, which typically involves a guaranteed maximum price. EPCS
contracts are entirely fee-based; different entities may be responsible for different phases of the project (e.g., design,
construction), and the contractor does not assume project price risk.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 22
improved, which has a measurable effect on the productivity of building
occupants, whether they are employees or students.
5.3 Green Buildings
Another EPC driver that is prominent in the federal and MUSH markets, and is
beginning to penetrate the private building market segments, is the desire of
building owners to "green" their buildings. Many people think first of renewable
energy technologies, such as photovoltaics, when they think about green
buildings, but energy efficiency is the technical and economic foundation of a
green building project. On the technical side, no renewable energy technology is
inexpensive or reliable enough to offset inefficient end uses, so a building's
energy use must be minimized to make optimal use of renewable energy. On the
economic side, it is becoming increasingly obvious that "energy efficiency pays
for green", that is the savings produced by energy efficiency measures finance the
installation of renewable energy measures through a long-term EPC contract.
5.4 Climate Change and Emissions Reduction Initiatives
State governments are also beginning to enact emission reduction initiatives to
address the problem of climate change. As policy planners try to convert the
mandates of political leaders into practical programs, they increasingly focus on
large-scale energy efficiency as the first choice in meeting the mandates. The
characterization of energy efficiency as the cornerstone of these types of
initiatives is because of its demonstrated cost-effectiveness and the lack of the
major technical risks associated with alternatives such as carbon capture from
power plants. EPC projects provide a quick way for policy makers to deliver
major energy savirgs, and therefore emissions reductions, because the delivery
infrastructure, the ESCO industry. is already in place and has a history of scaling
up to service customer -driven growth opportunities. It is important to note that
the revenues that will be attached to carbon cap -and -trade regimes are likely to
expand the capability of ESCOs to deliver more comprehensive EPC projects that
involve renewable technologies, because these carbon trading revenues are over
and above the energy savings revenues that today finance comprehensive energy
efficiency EPC projects. The development of additional revenue streams creates
different project economics that can support the use of more costly technologies
like renewables.
5.5 Utility and ISO/RTO Capacity Savings Programs
The final major driver for EPC projects is the emerging market for electricity
market capacity credits. The U.S. today is facing the need to construct a new
generation of electricity generating plants, which, because of the high and volatile
price of natural gas, are likely to be coal and nuclear plants. The hope of a decade
ago, that merchant power plants would eliminate the need for utilities to put new
power plants into their rate bases or make long-term power purchase agreements
with independent power plant operators, has evaporated. The financiers of the
merchant plants in the late 1990s lost billions of dollars when the merchant
generators overbuilt new capacity in most markets, and turned idle or
underutilized plants over to the financiers.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 23
The fact that ratepayers will have to bear the cost and risk of the projected
development, construction and long-term operating costs of the new generation of
plants is forcing state regulators, even in historically low-cost electricity states in
the Southeast U.S., to look for more economic alternatives, such as energy
efficiency, demand response and distributed generation. One mechanism that is
being tried in New York and New England to encourage the development of these
alternatives is to provide payments to their developers, through utility incentive
programs or ISO bid programs. The payments are designed to be equivalent to, or
less than, the payments that would be made to the developers of new central
generating plants. Like the revenues that will be generated by carbon trading,
these capacity credit revenues are over and above current EPC project revenue
streams, and should allow ESCOs to expand the technologies delivered in EPC
projects.
6. EPC Financing
This section of the paper describes the financing of EPC projects, offering an overview of the
financing marketplace and more detailed descriptions of some of the most popular EPC project
financing vehicles.
6.1 Third -party Financing Marketplace
Almost all EPC projects are financed by third -party finance companies — banks and other
financial institutions. The large players in the business are recognizable names like Bank
of America, Citibank, GE Capital, National City, PNC Bank, etc. There are also
specialized EPC project finance brokers, somewhat analogous to mortgage brokers, who
originate project financing deals which they then place with large institutions.
6.1.1 Available Capital
There is plenty of money available to finance EPC projects from the large
institutions. For example, the Clinton Climate Initiative, in its recent
announcement of a program to promote energy efficiency in major cities around
the world, announced that several major investment banks had committed $1
billion apiece to the effort, and that more money would be forthcoming if the
market needed it. This funding is over and above the current funding available in
the U.S. EPC market, and largely from institutions that are not current players in
that market.
6.1.2 Typical Rates and Terms
A typical EPC project is financed directly with the customer, not the ESCO,
because customers, most of whom are public sector (MUSH market and federal)
realize that they can get better interest rates than the ESCOs. So the customers
borrow the money to finance the projects, and their payments are assured by an
ESCO guarantee that project savings will be sufficient to pay the finance costs. A
typical MUSH market project today is financed at rates of 4.5-5% for terms of up
to 20 years. A typical federal project has rates up to 7%, higher than MUSH
market rates, because federal facilities cannot take on debt without an act of
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 24
Congress, and so their EPC project financing involves more complex structures
than MUSH market financing.
6.1.3 Competitive Process
The third -party EPC finance market is very competitive. A typical project will
have several financing proposals, usually secured through a formal RFP process,
with the financing companies competing at the level of .1 % of interest (or 10
basis points), and offering substantial flexibility, structuring payment schedules to
match the schedule of project savings cash flows.
6.2 Performance Contract Financing Vehicles
This section of the paper describes the most popular financing vehicles used in EPC
projects, in rough order of their popularity.
6.2.1 Background: Operating Expenses vs. Capital Expenses"
To argue the advantages of a tax-exempt lease -purchase agreement and a
performance contract, facility managers must be conversant with the roles that the
operating expense budget and the capital expense budget play in their
organizations. Typically, a capital expense budget is used for the funding to pay
off long-term debt and the acquisition of fixed assets (such as buildings, furniture,
and school buses) and where repayment typically extends beyond one operating
period (one operating period usually being 12 months). In contrast, operating
expenses are those general expenses (such as salaries or supply bills) that are
incurred over the course of one operating period (again, typically 12 months).' For
example, repayment of a bond issue is considered a capital expense, whereas
paying monthly utility bills is considered an operating expense.
The disadvantages associated with trying to use capital expense budget dollars for
your energy efficiency projects include the following: (1) capital dollars are
already committed to other projects; (2) capital dollars are often scarce, so your
projects are competing with other priorities; and (3) the approval process for
requesting new capital dollars is time consuming, expensive, and typically
requires voter approval ,or, in the case of commercial and industrial sector
projects the sign -off by multiple management layers.
6.2.2 Tax -Exempt Lease -Purchase Agreements
Tax-exempt lease -purchase agreements are common public sector financing
alternatives that allow repayment from operating expense dollars rather than
capital expense dollars. They are effective alternatives to traditional debt
financing (bonds, loans, etc.) and allow public organizations to pay for energy
upgrades by using money already set aside in annual utility budgets. When
properly structured, this type of financing mechanism allows public sector
16 This section of the paper is excerpted from the ENERGY STAR publication entitled INNOVATIVE
FINANCING SOLUTIONS: FINDING MONEY FOR YOUR ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS, available at
the following URL: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/C00-CFO Paper final.pdf
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 26
agencies to draw on dollars saved from future utility bills to pay for new, energy-
efficient equipment today.
A tax-exempt lease -purchase agreement, also known as a municipal lease, is like
an installment -purchase agreement rather than a traditional lease or rental
agreement. Under most rental agreements (such as those used in car leasing), the
renter (lessee) returns the asset (the car) at the end of the lease term, without
building any equity in the asset being leased and can postpone the decision to
acquire the asset being financed until the end of the lease term. A lease -purchase
agreement, however, presumes that the public sector organization will own the
equipment after the term expires. Further, the interest rates are appreciably lower
than those on a taxable commercial lease -purchase agreement because the interest
paid on the debt instrument is exempt from federal income tax for public sector
entities.
In addition, a tax-exempt lease -purchase agreement usually does constitute a
long-term "debt" obligation because of non -appropriation language commonly
written into the agreement. This language effectively limits the payment
obligation to the organization's current operating budget period. Therefore, if for
some reason future funds are not appropriated, the equipment is returned to the
lender, and the repayment obligation is terminated at the end of the current
operating period without placing any obligation on your future budgets.
Because of the non -appropriation language typically included in tax-exempt
lease -purchase agreements, this type of financing may be considered an operating
rather than a capital expense. As a result, the payments are not considered "debt"
from a legal perspective in most states and usually do not require taxpayer
approval. You will, however, have to assure lenders that the energy efficiency
projects being financed are considered of essential use (i.e., essential to the
operation of your organization), which minimizes the non -appropriation risk to
the lender.
Many public entities already lease equipment. Adding an energy project to an
existing lease agreement may be surprisingly easy, especially if a Master Lease is
in place with a lending institution. Governing statutes vary from state to state ;3
and the use of tax-exempt lease -purchase agreements may differ across schools,
municipalities, and counties even within the same state. Public sector
organizations should always consult legal counsel before entering into lease -
purchase agreements.
There may be cases when a lease -purchase agreement is not advisable; for
example, (1) state statute or charter may prohibit such financing mechanisms from
being used'; (2) the approval process may be too difficult or politically driven; or
(3) other funds are readily available, (e.g., bond funding that will soon be
accessible), or excess money exists in the current capital or operating budgets.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 26
6.2.3 Capital Leases"
Capital Leases are installment purchases of equipment. Little or no initial capital
outlay is required. With a capital lease, the facility owner eventually owns the
equipment at the end of the lease term and may take deductions for depreciation
and for the interest portion of payments. A capital asset and associated liability
will be recorded on the facility owner's balance sheet. Based on the criteria
defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statement No. 13,
a lease meeting one or more of the following criteria qualifies as a capital lease:
• The lease transfers ownership of property to the customer at end of the
lease term.
• The lease contains a bargain purchase option.
• The lease term covers 75 percent or more of the estimated economic life
of the equipment.
• The value of the lease equals or exceeds 90 percent of the fair market
value of the equipment at the beginning of the lease. Government
entities may be eligible for a tax-exempt capital lease.
Because the lessor does not pay taxes on the interest from these leases, the rates
are lower than typical market rates. For municipal organizations that can
undertake new debt, tax-exempt capital leases can be very attractive.
6.2.4 Shared Savings
With shared savings, the dollar value of the measured savings is divided between
the host facility and the service provider (see Figure 2). If there are no cost
savings, the facility owner pays the energy bill and owes the contractor nothing
for that period. The percentage distribution of the savings between the service
provider and the customer is agreed upon in advance and documented in the
performance contract. In a classic shared savings arrangement, the ESCO
provides the financing as well as project development and implementation
performance risks. The ESCO also bears interest rate risk and risk of rising utility
costs beyond the escalation clause agreed to in the initial Energy Savings
Agreement. The ESCO typically agrees that the facility owner will, in no
instance, pay more for utilities than it did at the start of the contract. The ESCO
receives a higher percentage of the savings at the beginning of the contract term to
pay off the cost of the equipment. If there are no dollar savings, the ESCO is still
responsible for meeting the financial obligations associated with the up front
equipment purchases. At the end of the contract, ownership transfers to the
building owner as specified in the contract. The owner either may purchase the
equipment at fair market value or simply assume ownership of the equipment paid
for during the contract term depending on the contracting structure. The largely
one sided risk profile is the principal reason that the shared savings contracting
structure is not often used by ESCOs except in the federal market where it is
mandated by the enabling legislation.
" This section of the paper is excerpted from the ENERGY STAR publication entitled "FINANCING", available at
the following URL: http://www.energ sy tar•gov/ialbusiness/BUM fmancine.df
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 27
6.2.5 State or Local Government Leasing Pools
A number of states and local governments offer leases that are part of a larger
pool to their constituent agencies: A state government, for example, might
arrange with a third -party lender to provide a $100 million lease facility, which
individual EPC projects can access through Certificates of Participation (COPS).
COPs are simply another means of funding lease -purchase transactions through
the sale of receipts evidencing partial ownership of a lease -purchase agreement.
Certificates are sold to multiple investors much like bonds, however, unlike
bonds; COPs have no independent legal existence or significance.
6.2.6 State or Local Government Bonds
States or local governments can also sell bonds to finance EPC projects. If the
state sells bonds, it usually packages a number of projects into a single bond issue,
to minimize the bond transaction costs and interest rate. This can often result in
significant delays in EPC project implementation while a suitable package of
projects is assembled. The ENERGY STAR Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator
was designed to help facility owners decide if waiting for a pending state bond
issue is more cost effective than utilizing immediately available lease -purchase
financing. If a local government sells bonds, they are often for a single EPC
project, but the issuance of the bonds requires approval by the local government's
legislative body (e.g. city council) as well as the locality's voters at an election.
6.2.7 Revolving Loan Pools
Some states, such as California and Texas, have revolving loan pools dedicated to
the financing of EPC projects. The rates for these pools are generally attractive,
but the pools often have waiting lists of projects, so that a new project can be held
up for several years until previous projects repay their loans and funding is
available.
6.2.8 Cash from Capital Budgets
Sometimes cash is available from state or local government capital budgets to
finance, or partially finance, an EPC project. Regulations on the employment of
capital funds vary significantly from state to state. Some states forbid the use of
any capital funds in EPC projects, reasoning that a project fully paid from capital
funds should be implemented through the spec -and -bid public construction
process. Other states allow the blending of capital funds and borrowed funds in
an EPC project, so that the scope of the EPC project can be expanded to include
measures or technologies that would not pay for themselves from energy savings,
such as a new roof or a photovoltaic installation. Currently, federal managers
cannot blend appropriated and non -appropriated funding and there is a push by
many to be able to do so in order to increase the level of EPC investment and
project scope.
6.2.9 Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)
Projects that involve distributed generation or combined heat and power (CHP)
measures often employ a different kind of financing, in which the facility owner
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 28
contracts to pay for the output of the facility (e.g. per kWh or pounds of steam)
rather than paying for the equipment. In this kind of contract, the facility owner
pays nothing if the ESCO does not deliver the energy commodity. PPAs can be
quite complex, because they allow for one or other of the parties to break the
contract in the event, for example, that the cost of power from the utility becomes
lower than the cost of power from the CHP facility, or if the gas supply contract
for the CHP plant is worth more than the savings from the operation of the plant.
7. Performance Contract M&V
The final major element of a performance contract is the monitoring and verification (M&V) of
the project savings. This element is critical because the facility owner that hosts and EPC project
is depending on the project savings to pay its financing obligations, and the ESCO is
guaranteeing the level of energy savings. Therefore, the design and implementation of M&V
protocols is the foundation to the long-term success of the EPC project.
Not surprisingly, the historical development of EPC M&V protocols tracks the stages of the
development of the ESCO industry that was outlined at the beginning of this paper. That
development is summarized below.
7.1 Pre -1985: The Beginning of DSM
First generation M&V systems were established to track the progress of the utility
programs, typically in terms of services delivered -- homes audited, contractors trained,
banks signed up for loan programs, etc. — rather than actual kW or kWh savings achieved.
Utilities also conducted extensive research on the efficacy of various types of energy
conservation technologies in laboratory -like settings. For example, rather than rely on
manufacturers' testing data, many utilities ran their own tests of the effectiveness of attic
insulation.
7.2 1985-1993: Emergence of Performance Contracting
The fledgling ESCOs, the utilities and the project customers developed the protocols
through an arduous process that usually involved a utility developing a proposed
protocol, and then modifying the protocol through a series of project -by -project
negotiations with the ESCOs and their customers. The utilities were under regulatory
order to procure energy efficiency resources that were cheaper than generation resources,
and so developed the notion of the "avoided costs" of future generation, essentially
projections of the cost of generation over the life of the energy efficiency project. ESCOs
priced efficiency projects against avoided costs. Some utility programs were criticized
for over -paying for projects on this basis, and quickly learned that program monitoring
requirements had to include both project costs and savings in order to deliver the best
value to ratepayers.
At the same time, both customers and utilities were afraid of the risks inherent in the new
technologies that were utilized in the projects, and insisted that all of the risks be borne
by the ESCOs. A typical project contract was a "shared savings" contract in which the
customer agreed to have the new technologies installed in its facility, and agreed to pay
the ESCO a share of the verified savings produced by the project. No savings therefore
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 29
equaled no payment. The financing for this type of project was very expensive, because
few lenders were willing to commit to long-term loans for unproven technologies
delivered by companies with little or no track record, and those that did lend required
substantial ESCO equity as security. The ESCO business was thus limited in size and
scope to either small companies with a limited number of projects financed through the
company's own assets or companies with sizeable balance sheets that could essentially
collateralize the debt assumed on behalf of the projects undertaken. The companies in the
business, particularly the companies that did the project financing, were quite profitable.
In fact, a few ESCOs adopted a business model of buying the projects of other companies
which for whatever reasons needed to reduce their liabilities and remove long term debt
from their balance sheet.
This second stage of the ESCO industry came to an effective conclusion in the New
Jersey Standard Offer pro ram, which was designed by regulators to deliver what they
called an "energy efficiency power plant." In the mid-1990s ESCOs delivered about 300
MW of projects, verified by what was then the state-of-the-art M&V protocol: real-time
monitoring of essentially every circuit in every customer facility in the program for the
life of the project, with the data telemetered to ESCO offices and consolidated into
monthly reports and invoices. All of this was done with 900 -baud modems, and subject
to utility post -audits for the life of the projects (5-15 years).
This measurement and verification protocol was very expensive, typically about 15% of
the total project cost, and so demanding that the host utility established a very lucrative
business financing the projects and providing the M&V services through a subsidiary,
and eventually wound up owning more than half of the total projects in the program.
Many of the other projects were owned by another utility subsidiary; in two successive
years, the utility reported that about one-quarter of its profits had come from the
subsidiary.
ESCOs, customers, utilities and regulators learned several major lessons during this
second stage of the performance contracting business, including:
• The performance contracting business model could deliver large volumes of
energy and demand savings, but the lack of a robust financing market and the
elaborate M&V protocols were severely limiting its growth.
• The technologies employed in most performance contract projects were not very
risky, because the technologies had matured and most customers shied away
from cutting-edge technologies.
• The financing of performance contracts was profitable and not very risky.
o The M&V protocols employed in the New Jersey program were overkill as they
were expensive to implement and over measured technologies with fairly well
understood consumption patterns.
To accelerate industry growth, the ESCO industry would have to lead the development of
a multi -stakeholder, standardized and simplified M&V protocol that could be understood
by bankers and other non -expert parties. NAESCO took the lead in refining the New
Jersey M&V Protocol and developed a new protocol which was the first non-utility
protocol accepted for use by the California Public Utilities Commission.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 30
7.3 1994-2002: Success and Consolidation
From 1994 to 1996, NAESCO, ASHRAE, U.S. DOE worked to create what is now the
International Performance Monitoring and Verification Protocol (IPMVP), which was
formally introduced in 1996, and has since become the "gold standard" of performance
contracting M&V. It is used in most state programs, has been adapted for use in the
federal program, and is used in most non-government performance contracting projects.
Perhaps the most important feature of the IPMVP is its methodology for matching the
rigor and cost of M&V to the risk of particular energy efficiency technologies. Simple
technologies like lighting can be handled with deemed or stipulated savings that involve
modest measurements, while complex technologies like digital control systems require
sophisticated whole -building modeling and engineering calculations, as well as long-term
project monitoring.
7.4 2003 — Present: Pause, and now Fast Growth and New
Services
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the current generation of M&V protocols,
including IPMVP, does not adequately address the requirements of some of these
emerging performance contracting market drivers.
e Utility regulators, electricity system operators and utility supply-side managers
need a greater level of precision than current M&V protocols provide to verify
that demand and energy resources produced by performance contracting projects
are being delivered, particularly at local system peaks.
• Environmental regulators and the emerging emissions credits trading markets
need standardized monitoring and verifications systems that can assign emissions
reductions credits to end-users with an acceptable level of precision so that these
credits can be traded alongside credits for point source emitters.
® Public sector customers need standardized systems for identifying, recording and
monitoring the operations and maintenance cost savings and capital cost
avoidance that are often produced by performance contracting projects.
7.5 Current State -of -the Art of EPC M&V
A typical EPC project today employs the IPMVP, but makes maximum use of its
stipulated savings protocol rather than its more rigorous, and costly, long-term
monitoring alternatives. The trend to maximize the use of stipulated savings has been
driven by all parties to an EPC project. The customer generally does not implement
technologies that it perceives to be risky, and wants to maximize the capital investment in
its facility, and so spend as little as possible on long-term M&V. The ESCO typically
wants to stipulate as high a percentage of the projected savings as possible to minimize
its long-term performance risk. EPC project financiers want stipulated savings, to
minimize the risk that the facility owner will stop paying the financing charges because it
believes it is not realizing the projected savings. Utility programs that provide incentives
to EPC projects also want to maximize stipulated savings so that they can document that
they are meeting their savings goals with minimal long-term M&V costs.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 31
The stipulated savings approach generally works well, because all parties tend to be
conservative in their implementation of technologies. But it is beginning to fray around
the edges a bit, as the M&V protocols are stretched to account for operational savings,
environmental emissions reductions and the documentation of capacity (rather than
energy) savings required by utilities and transmission system operators.
8. Performance Contract Market Constraints
Though the EPC industry, as documented by the recent LBL study cited above, is growing at
20% or more annually, many industry observers believe that industry growth is in fact being
constrained by several factors, and could grow much more rapidly if the constraints were
removed. Policy makers also observe that EPCs must be much more widely employed if the
U.S. is to meet is aggressive energy savings and emissions reductions goals,during the next two
decades. This section of the paper outlines some of the constraints and suggests some
approaches to loosening them.
8.1 New Generation of M&V Protocols Needed
As noted in the discussion above, the state-of-the-art of EPC M&V is beginning to fray a
bit. A new generation of M&V is needed to monitor and verify the operational savings,
environmental emissions reductions credits and energy system capacity credits that EPC
projects produce. This new generation of M&V will make full use of the metering and
communications technologies that did not exist when the IPMVP was written in the mid-
1990s, but are now widely available in utility re -metering programs, advanced building
automation systems and expanding internet connectivity. Several efforts are now
underway to begin the development of new M&V protocols, and these efforts should
yield tangible results in the next two years.
8.2 National/International Shortage of Skilled Personnel
The growth of the ESCO industry is now seriously constrained by the lack of skilled
personnel required to develop and implement EPC projects. ESCOs are now competing
with utilities, renewable energy firms, environmental and energy consulting firms, and
government agencies for a limited pool of professional and skilled technical talent. The
personnel shortage is not just regional in the US, or national across the US, but rather
worldwide. In the US, both university engineering programs and community college
technical education programs have been slow to see the need for more energy efficiency
and renewable energy personnel, and are now scrambling to develop new curricula and
expand the student populations in these curricula. It will, unfortunately, take several
years for the educational infrastructure to catch up to the market needs, so the short-term
effect will be increasing compensation levels across the ESCO industry.
8.3 Specific Market Barriers
In addition to these general market constraints, specific market segments have unique
constraints that must be addressed if EPS is to reach its full potential.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 32
8.3.1 Federal and MUSH Market Bureaucracies
The primary constraint in the federal and MUSH markets is the difficulty that the
bureaucracies have in implementing EPC programs. At all levels of government,
there are two major bureaucratic constraints — the landlord agencies and the
financial control agencies. The landlord agencies, the GSA at the federal level
and its equivalent in the various states, have spent more than a century getting
control of the buildings in their domains. EPC is a disruptive project model to
these agencies, because it displaces longstanding contract methodologies and
contractor relationships. The financial control agencies, such as the OMB or
individual agency comptrollers at the federal level, are generally unfamiliar with,
and suspicious of, the economics of EPC, and so resist its widespread
implementation. 1 he resistance can take the form of benign neglect, as when an
agency comptroller simply does not act on a pending project for months, or of
outright hostility, as when the federal OMB gave federal EPC a negative budget
score by counting the costs of the projects but not the savings. The remedy for
this constraint is the implementation of education programs, structured for the
responsible officials in order to bring them up to speed on the uses of EPC. This
work is painstaking, in that it has to identify the precise individuals who are the
bottlenecks, and ongoing, in that those individuals often move on to other
assignments and are replaced by new individuals who must be educated. To date
there is no pool of money at either the federal or state level to fund this ongoing
education effort.
8.3.2 Commercial Real Estate Economics
A major constraint on the implementation of EPC in the commercial real estate
industry, which owns buildings for lease to tenants, is the resistance of the
building owners to undertake any long-term debt obligations that might hinder
their ability to "flip" or resell buildings on an opportunistic basis. Additionally,
ESCOs trying to develop projects have a difficult time even finding the actual
owners of the buildings, because these owners are represented by professional
management firms, one of whose jobs is to keep vendors like ESCOs away from
the owners. And it not as though the commercial real estate industry is using
vehicles other than EPC to make their buildings energy efficient; they simply are
not implementing energy efficiency other than the quick payback no and low-cost
measures on a large scale.
There are, however, hopeful signs that some companies are making inroads. A
few owner/operator companies have embraced energy efficiency and
sustainability as a way to distinguish themselves in the market. Some large
institutional investors, such as major pension funds, are beginning to impose
efficiency and sustainability criteria on their investment decisions. And at least
two commercial real estate owners actually have formed in-house ESCOs to
implement projects in their buildings, though one of those ESCOs is now being
disbanded because its parent company has been sold and is being broken up. The
most promising approach to this constraint may be the next generation of utility
energy efficiency programs, which try innovative approaches to project financing,
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 33
such as attaching the repayment obligation to the building utility meter rather than
the building owner.
8.3.4 Industrial Economics
The problem with EPC in the industrial marketplace is twofold. First, very few
industrial customers are economically secure enough to commit to a long-term
EPC contract. Second, industrial customers do not generally buy turnkey projects
like EPCs. They have purchasing departments that typically pull the projects
apart and wring out the profit. ESCOs generally avoid the industrial segment
unless the local utility offers very rich incentive programs that can bring the EPC
project down to the 18-24 month payback that industrial customers require.
9. Conclusion and Summary
The importance of EPC is highlighted by several of the conclusions quoted from the recently
published study (cited above) by the National Association of Energy Service Companies
(NAESCO) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), as follows:
9.1 Private -sector investment in energy efficiency leveraged by
ESCOs is about the same as authorized spending for utility and
public benefit energy efficiency programs.
Based on our survey, ESCOs report $2.5 billion in investments in energy efficiency
equipment and services in 2006. By comparison, authorized budgets for ratepayer -
funded electric and gas energy -efficiency programs (i.e., utility programs and public -
benefits funded programs financed by charges on utility customers' bills) was about $2.5
billion in 2006 (CEE 2007). These budgets include costs to administer energy efficiency
programs, technical assistance, information and financial incentives that partially offset
the cost of high -efficiency equipment.18 Though ESCOs' primary offerings are defined as
providing energy and dollar savings through the design and implementation of high
efficiency technologies and ongoing operations and maintenance services, one of the
bases for the success and growth of the ESCO industry has been its ability to arrange for
and obtain market -rate, private sector financing for energy efficiency projects on a large
scale.
9.2 ESCOs can be a crucial trade ally in selected market sectors
for program administrators of ratepayer -funded energy
efficiency programs.
ESCOs can complement and support ratepayer -funded energy efficiency programs in the
market sectors where they are active (e.g. developing comprehensive projects, arranging
financing for customers who have difficulties obtaining funding for energy-related capital
projects, managing performance risks as part of measuring and verifying savings). The
core market in which the ESCO business model has been most successful is in energy -
is Utility energy efficiency program spending include costs to administer energy efficiency programs, technical
assistance, information and financial incentives that partially offset the cost of high -efficiency equipment We
estimate that the total investment in 2006 in energy efficient products and equipment derived from utility and public -
benefits energy efficiency programs is in the range of $2.3-2.8 billion.
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 34
efficiency retrofits to large buildings, primarily owned by institutional clients.
Policymakers need to recognize that ESCOs (and performance contracting) are not
necessarily the optimal approach for delivering energy efficiency in all market sectors.
This is particularly true for small projects where the prospective energy and dollar
savings may not be large enough to offset the transaction costs of putting together a
performance contract. Generally, small projects must be aggregated to be viable. Other
types of energy service providers (e.g. lighting and HVAC contractors, engineering firms,
architects, consultants) currently are more active in residential and small commercial
markets as these providers tend to work on a designibuild basis, are compensated directly
through allocated funding, and assume no ongoing performance risk. In addition, ESCOs
are not generally involved in new construction and have thus far ceded that market to
other types of market providers.
9.3 ESCOs can be important partners in clean energy,
sustainability, and climate change mitigation initiatives in urban
areas.
U.S. ESCOs have a proven track record of developing comprehensive projects that utilize
energy efficiency, onsite generation and renewable energy technologies. There is
increasing interest in energy efficiency and clean energy among cities that are pursuing
either sustainable energy and/or climate change mitigation initiatives. Given their long-
standing relationships and track record with many institutional customers, ESCOs are
well-positioned to work with cities, their energy managers, and financial institutions to
develop "clean energy" projects. Recent examples include participation of several large
ESCOs in the global Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit program which involves 16
cities (including New York, Chicago, and Houston in the U.S.) and five global banks.19
Cambridge MA, Boston, and New York have also launched major clean energy initiatives
to significantly reduce energy use in their cities that are likely to include partnerships
with ESCOs and other energy efficiency service providers.
19 "President Clinton Announces Landmark Program to Reduce Energy Use in Buildings Worldwide, May 16, 2007'
see htto://www.clintonfoundation.org/051607-nr-cf-pr-cci-president-chmon-announces-landmark-pram-to-
reduce-energy-use-in-build in es-worldw' de.htm
EPA Introduction to Performance Contracting Page 36