This has been a challenging year for our customers and colleagues who are learning how to navigate and operate in the presence of a virus that has touched many aspects of our professional and personal lives. As a full-service energy management, engineering, and consulting firm, Evolution Energy Partners (EEP) defines best in class sustainability, energy efficiency, procurement, and analytical solutions for over 600 individual customers and over 6,000 locations across North America. In our quest to provide these solutions, our customers enjoy the positive impact on the bottom line by leveraging a suite of services that mitigate risk, enhance stakeholder value, and provide a foundation to increase corporate citizenship and sustainable practices.
Adapting to Change
In the spring of 2020, we had to define a new way of operations to continue the focus and support we previously defined for our business due to COVID-19. With the lockdown impacting many of the industries we support, we saw an immediate need to shift our focus. Our customers were looking to define ways to save money, operate in limited occupancy, and receive guidance on long-term and short-term energy strategies. The EEP team went into high gear, providing vital information on ways to preserve capital, adjust operating expenses, and ensure buildings and assets were managed for lower occupancy to withstand long periods of dormancy or limited use. This was a new role for our team, and we all worked hard to step up to the challenge. We created educational material such as blog posts, white papers, instructional documents, and more, all with the focus of finding opportunities to operate in the “new normal”. This mode of operation was short-lived, and we noticed a need to expand our support and guidance.
Our focus shifted a bit in the fall, with the goal of getting back to work safely. Our clients were now looking for ways to operate while in the pandemic. We partnered with many industry member organizations, sharing our knowledge of the market and the opportunities that were created within the last few months. EEP wanted to make sure our customers were taking full advantage of every cost-saving measure available. We developed solutions that allowed our customers to reduce operating expenses while still preserving capital resources during this difficult time. Savings in light of the current situation can fall directly to the bottom line and can help make up for some of the lost revenue due to the pandemic. In addition, we defined healthy work environment recommendations for our customers and their tenants and employees through engineering changes. Our “get back to work” program included webinar topics such as reviewing contracts to take advantage of historically low energy prices, the benefits of energy efficiency projects, creative financing options, and building operations and technology that can limit the transmission of pathogens in the air.
Looking Forward
As we approach 2021, the energy market may have more surprises. Recent forecasts show sharp increases in energy prices as we begin to operate closer to normal levels, but this is still an unknown. Although the pandemic caused a delay to many renewable projects, green energy looks to rebound in 2021 with cities across the country implementing legislation and financing programs to drive energy efficiency and sustainability. In addition, the cost for green energy construction is continuing to show signs of decline, making it more affordable for industrial scale and private operations.
New Year, New Opportunities
2020 has been a challenging time for many organizations, no matter the industry. We look forward to continuing to offer our customers energy solutions that derive value and increase the sustainable operations of their facilities. For more information about EEP’s services, contact the EEP team today.