Energy Efficiency Resources
Download Case StudyChallenge:
Energy Efficiency Resources (EER) is an energy solutions contractor with service areas in the U.S. The company specializes in helping building owners source and implement the most-energy efficient solutions for their building or portfolio of buildings.
Before partnering with 75F, EER identified an incentive program through a local utility provider that offered rebates for advanced rooftop control (ARC). EER identified this as a potential business opportunity that could simultaneously increase their annual revenue and provide a valuable efficiency upgrade to their customers at no cost to them.
EER tried this strategy with two different control solutions first and ran into barriers with both. The first solution, EER discovered, had a higher total cost than the utility incentive dollars provided. The second solution’s price was within the budget, but the system capabilities meant EER could not complete all the jobs they identified. For this incentive strategy to work, EER needed a wireless solution affordable enough to ensure the total project cost would be covered, without sacrificing important capabilities.
Solution:
This utility’s incentive program offers a generous dollar amount per rooftop unit — varying depending on tonnage — outfitted with ARC. Considering the cost of labor and materials and the complexity of some jobs, EER initially struggled to find the right controls fit for their business strategy to install rooftop economizer controls with little to no out-of-pocket cost to the end customer.
Ultimately, EER selected 75F’s ARC application, Outside Air Optimization (OAO), because of the disruptive cost and advanced system capabilities that matched the incentive program. EER got 75F OAO approved as a prescriptive measure for the incentive program and has since installed 75F in numerous buildings ranging from credit unions to shopping malls.
One such project, Frankenmuth River Place Shops in Michigan, would have been nearly impossible to outfit with ARC if EER had attempted the job with traditional controls, simply because of communications wires. The shopping area contained multiple different buildings that were not interconnected, meaning installers would face a daisy-chaining headache to install the system. 75F’s IoT-based devices communicate via a secure, 900 MHz mesh network, meaning installers could skip comm wires and still achieve better savings, comfort, and IAQ.
There are more capabilities behind 75F's hardware and software and how you can tune it. 75F's support is also a big plus — we've gotten to know the staff really well. We know their background and trust what they tell us. 75F is more than just a controls manufacturer, they're a partner.
Results:
EER’s partnership with 75F promotes a win-win-win scenario: The utility spends the incentive dollars they are required to offer; EER customers gain energy savings, enhanced comfort, and improved IAQ at no cost to them; and EER increases their revenue.
As EER gains familiarity with 75F and jobs that are the best fit for the utility’s incentives, the contractor aims to ramp up their 75F OAO implementations to 30 installations per week. With these new jobs, EER expects their annual revenue to increase by 40% compared to last year.
Aside from disruptive price, simplified installation, and advanced technology, EER points to the 75F support team’s reachability and knowledge base as another benefit to the partnership.
“Beyond the technology, 75F’s support is definitely of huge value,” said Jeffrey Filek, co-founder of EER. “You can have a great product and terrible service, and it won’t go anywhere. Having that support from 75F is very helpful.”
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