In the past decade energy-efficiency measures have become commonplace in all sorts of buildings. Schools. City halls. County office towers.
But Troy Geanopulos and Rob Campbell, who both had decades of experience in the energy sector, noticed that most entities that embraced green building changes belonged to the public sector. They saw a chance to show private-sector businesses how they could do the same.
So in 2012 they started The Efficiency Network, or TEN for short. The company recently attracted a $2 million investment from Adams Capital Management to continue developing their cutting-edge software. The automated technology is combined with TEN’s regional partner networks that help property owners lower costs and make it easier to engineer, finance and construct projects that save energy and water. Its clients include the owners of office buildings, hotels, hospitals and small manufacturing facilities.
“The private sector looks at energy efficiency as an investment opportunity just like any other investment opportunity,” says Campbell, TEN's president and COO. “We're set up to help customers understand what the opportunities are.”
Clients start the process by filling out a free assessment of energy use and potential savings. Then consultants from TEN meet with them and examine possible savings methods more in-depth. The company has built a network of suppliers and contractors to put those plans into action.
“It's very complex for a customer to understand what they can do in their building,” Campbell says. “Then they need to figure out who can do it for them.”
The private sector seeks higher returns on investment and more cost flexiblity than publicly funded entities that have more stable budgets, he explains. TEN's system allows clients to choose their projects a la carte.
TEN is located in Carnegie, PA and has a presence in the Philadelphia suburb of West Chester. The company plans to begin operations between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Campbell and Geanopulos, who have both held leadership roles at Constellation NewEnergy, hope to introduce TEN to 10 locations over the next five years.