See if your energy services company is one of the top ones, and what it takes to be such a leader

by Brianna Crandall — January 8, 2018 — A new Leaderboard Report from Navigant Research examines the strategy and execution of 14 energy services companies (ESCOs), with Schneider Electric, Siemens, and Ameresco in the lead.

Through the use of energy performance contract (EPC) or energy savings performance contract (ESPC) financing structures, ESCOs have been instrumental in providing access to energy efficiency technologies and services in market segments that would not normally be able to consider or afford capital-intensive projects, points out the report. Experience and brand presence in this market can provide a significant competitive advantage, as well as high levels of competency and resources available to provide adequate, consistent, and guaranteed services over long-term project horizons, the report concludes.

Tom Machinchick, principal research analyst with Navigant Research, stated:

The highest-ranking ESCOs are evolving their offerings with new smart building technologies and a larger and more on-going services presence. Additionally, these companies are acting on deeply insightful information, reducing project risk, and including a diverse array of project components that satisfy needs throughout an organization.

Energy services companies (ESCOs) are realizing the growing value of digital intelligence as the volume of data coming from buildings is used to create new and unique sources of information that add value before, during, and after an EPC project, according to the report. The amount of data captured from existing and new projects has allowed ESCOs to develop sophisticated statistical models for determining project risk and return profiles, which help stakeholders understand building performance and end-use customer operational, maintenance, and comfort issues.

According to the Executive Summary, the Top 10 vendors are:

  1. Schneider Electric
  2. Siemens
  3. Ameresco
  4. NORESCO
  5. Trane
  6. Honeywell
  7. Johnson Controls
  8. McKinstry
  9. Energy Systems Group
  10. AECOM

The report, Navigant Research Leaderboard: ESCOs, examines the strategy and execution of 14 leading energy services companies with the experience and capacity to provide a diverse level of performance contracting projects across a broad base of client market segments. These ESCOs are rated on 12 criteria: vision, go-to-market strategy, technology strategy, partners, client segment access, geographic reach, ESCO experience, breadth of ESCO offerings, project portfolio, sales and marketing, financing and staying power.

Using Navigant Research’s proprietary Leaderboard methodology, vendors are profiled, rated and ranked with the goal of providing industry participants with an objective assessment of these companies’ relative strengths and weaknesses in the ESCO performance contracting market. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research Web site, or the full report is available for purchase.