Energy Project Financing

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Historically, there haven't been a lot of options for financing an energy project. If you didn't have the money on hand, working with the bank may have been the only option. And it can be hard for a financial institution to understand the benefits and ramifications of an energy project.

The good news: This environment is changing. There are several ways that buildings can now approach energy project financing – you just have to know where to look (and what you need).

Energy-efficiency projects aren't cost centers – they're investments that can generate money. There are several ways to fund them, and Shive-Hattery can help you find the right one. Our contacts and resources identify the right financing option for your project, whether it's an ESCO, a guaranteed performance contract, working with a bank, a leasing program, or partnering with a provider that finances energy projects on behalf of owners – paid back by utility savings after the project is complete.

Shive-Hattery can also uncover utility rebates and incentives – payable in cash – that can be put back into your organization. It's not uncommon, for example, to find up to $100,000 in rebates on a $300,000 energy project. If you choose to finance the project, then the rebate is cash that goes directly into your business' pocketbook.

We'll show you how the right type of financing for your energy project can generate cash for your organization. A simple scenario to consider: If your organization's net profit margin is 10% per year, and you implement a $300,000 project that saves $100,000 per year, what is the end result? The answer: $1 million in revenue. Why? To offset the costs of not completing the project (instead spending the extra $100,000 every year that could have been saved by the energy project), your organization would need to generate an extra $1 million.

Energy projects shouldn't be considered as added costs; instead, we'll help you learn to view them as investments that pay year over year – even long after they're paid off.