National Energy Efficiency Financing Survey Polls 3000 Industry Professionals, Results Reveal Lack of Financing and Insurance Options for Projects under $250K
Bedford Hills, NY (PRWEB) December 12, 2013 -- Joule Assets, an investment and financing firm specializing in energy reduction assets (ERAs) from energy efficiency and demand response, today released results from its first national energy efficiency financing and insurance survey. A white paper detailing the results can be downloaded here.
The survey targeted the small-to-midsize energy efficiency market that has been historically underserved by the finance community. Joule Assets polled over 3,000 energy efficiency professionals, including contractors, manufacturers and trade associations to uncover challenges endemic to the small-to-midsize market .
Highlights of the survey revealed several interesting trends in energy efficiency financing:
• Financing is a serious obstacle for projects under $250,000. According to respondents, the majority (67%) of energy efficiency projects under $250,000 lack access to financing. 97% of respondents revealed direct relationship between increased access to financing and increased sales volumes
• Energy Reduction Savings Agreements (ERSAs) are the preferred financing model for the majority of respondents. The majority of respondents (60%) favor financing through the ERSA model, a performance-based, off-balance sheet financing option, over fixed loans or leases.
• There is significant demand for insurance that backs energy savings guarantees. More than 70% of respondents expressed interest in including insurance as a way to back energy savings guarantees.
• Respondents would sell more if they could guarantee energy savings. 55% of respondents do not currently guarantee energy savings, but 75% say they would sell more if they could offer guarantees (see below).
Joule Assets offers an array of financing options to fund small-to-midsize energy efficiency projects, some of which incur no upfront costs for the end user, increasing the likelihood of enhancing deal closure rate for contractors. The company’s Energy Reduction Assets (ERA) platform incorporates hidden revenue streams like incentives, rebates, efficiency certificates and demand response programs into their financing options, enabling them to serve the small-to-midsize market more effectively. Joule also provides insurance-backed financing options to vendors who guarantee energy savings along with flexible performance and non-performance-based financing options to extract additional value from energy systems.
“Our survey has identified financing as a common hurdle for energy professionals to serve their customers,” said Joule Assets CEO, Mike Gordon. “Joule Assets is uniquely positioned to enable a wide range of projects that are historically underserved by traditional finance by offering creative financing vehicles like Energy Reduction Service Agreements.”
For a detailed analysis of the results, please download the white paper here.
###
About Joule Assets
Joule Assets delivers financing solutions backed by performance insurance for energy efficiency (EE) and demand response (DR) initiatives and projects. We create Energy Reduction Assets (ERA) by integrating simple financing and insurance options with untapped revenue streams from our market analysis software tools like ERA-DR. Leveraging our proprietary database, software and extensive industry expertise, our mission is to expand commerce and reduce barriers in these complicated markets by creating transparency and providing financing solutions.
Mark Argyle, Joule Assets, http://www.jouleassets.com, +1 650-283-4103, [email protected]
Share this article