What is the history of uncovering energy inefficiencies?

Energy efficiency started becoming a buzzword as it relates to building and process energy use in the 1970s oil crisis. It was when people realized that energy saved is as valuable as energy produced.  Energy efficiency became a source of power and during the 1980s and 1990s developed into the energy efficiency market that we know today.   After the oil crisis was over it remained popular in certain parts of the country such as California and North East.
 
Since when has it become so important for companies to watch their energy budgets?

It always has been important to watch the energy budget just like every other purchase decision. However, lack of energy information and talent has made that job very difficult.  Companies that have traditionally done a really good job of watching their energy budget are in the sectors where the cost of energy is a significant portion of the cost of production.  Mining, smelting, and glass manufacturing are examples of industries where that has been traditionally the case.
 
What measures have historically been put in place to measure energy efficiencies?

Each industry has focused on its own set of priorities historically on what is generally termed in the industry as “low hanging fruit”.  Lighting retrofits typically fit this category.
 
How were they lacking?

This kind of “Low hanging fruit” approach to energy management lacks strategic long term thinking.  The focus on achieving short term success meant long term energy planning was typically ignored.  
 
At what level of energy inefficiency (i.e. percentage loss) does it generally become economical for a company to initiate an action plan?

Energy inefficiency is not easily noticed in facilities.  Aging infrastructure, high energy and maintenance costs are all proxies for energy inefficiency in facilities. Typically if an energy audit has not been done at a facility in the last five years, and is accompanied by some of the conditions mentioned above it is a good candidate for an energy action plan.  Local utility and government rebates and incentives also can make projects economically attractive to consider.
 
What proprietary technologies have you developed to institute energy efficiency game plans?

We have developed a range of technologies to enable our customers to not only realize savings in the efficiency of systems, but also to further monetize their efforts in the way of rebates.  

Rebate Xchange® - The premier outsourced service to find, qualify, maximize and deliver available rebates and incentives for capital projects. Rebate XChange is a web portal service that helps customers identify and receive maximum rebates and incentives available for their projects.  

reps™ - The Refrigeration Energy Performance Simulator is an eps-developed software program that estimates savings for industrial refrigeration system alternative designs. reps simplifies the system model and delivers accurate energy savings in less time than more widely used modeling programs. It is licensed to one of the country's largest electric utilities.
 
xChange Point™ - xChange Point™ is a new family of comprehensive systems which provides near real-time data and access to facilities’ subsystems enabling management information to benchmark and reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Energy efficiency can be measured in near real-time providing both corporate and plant personnel with a clear picture of how and where energy is used as well as how it relates to carbon emissions. This allows smart, informed decisions to be made quickly—in near real-time—using reliable insights provided by xChange Point™.

In general, is there an average expected payback period if your gameplan is instigated?

The average payback extends between 1 and 3 years for most projects.
 
How does your approach differ from what is already available in the energy management market place?

We approach all of our work with a three step process that we call “The eps way”.  This benefits-focused strategy is designed to deliver maximum value and efficiency at minimum expense to our customers. It consists of the following three simple tenets:
• Measure and control what you have
• Repair and replace what is inefficient
• Shift to new and alternative energy options
 
Who are your customers and what is their initial feedback on your service?

Our customers consist of fortune 500 and other large industrial customers who consume between 1 and 10 MW.  eps customers are extremely pleased with the compelling solutions that eps brings to their practical energy and sustainability concerns.  

Looking forward, how do you see your business evolving to answer the increasing demand for energy solutions in the future?

Demand for energy services were typically driven by bottom line concerns and were typically required to meet certain ROI concerns.  With climate change driven corporate responsibility requirements and impending regulation, energy efficiency has taken an increasingly important role in corporate America.  As the demand increases eps is aligned with its customers in growing with the right resources to bring compelling and innovative solutions to the marketplace.

Shiva Subramanya, CEM
Chief Operating Officer
eps corp

With over seventeen years of broad experience in the energy industry, Mr. Subramanya is responsible for all aspects of the company¹s operations. His experience in the energy industry includes sales, technical development, and construction management of multi-million dollar projects. His commitment
to preserving energy and expert knowledge of the utility rebate system has secured millions of dollars of project funding for eps customers. Mr. Subramanya's impressive experience also includes responsibility for the design of software to control building management system response to real time pricing signals from utilities.

A highly regarded energy professional, Mr. Subramanya is a frequent speaker on wide ranging energy and environmental issues across the country and has published papers in the energy industry.   He has also taught graduate level energy courses at Portland State University. Mr. Subramanya has a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, is a Certified Energy Manager, and a member of ASHRAE and the Association of Energy Engineers.