Financial Considerations
It depends upon several factors, and we will provide a free budgetary quote upon request. Our customers defray part (or in some cases, all) of their fixed monthly payments by sharing in our profits earned from participation in any available Grid programs.
Understanding the cost of renewable electricity can be confusing, and some folks have convoluted ways to calculate its all-in costs.
But here is the indisputable fact: the ‘fuel’ (sun and wind) for renewables are free. So the total delivered cost of energy is due to the one-time installation costs (which continue to fall), and the operation and maintenance expenses (which Exergy pays). And here is the really good news: on a cost per kWh-basis, solar and wind are the least expensive energy sources available.
However, since renewables are intermittent, they need to be supported by grid generation. As responsible providers of renewable energy, Exergy also installs a natural gas generator at your facility (and, when appropriate, energy storage). This generator is used to provide your facility with resiliency and to supply the grid with energy services to accommodate the inherent variability of renewable power.
This should be viewed like any other investment you would make for your company. It is important to understand that while energy efficiency will improve your bottom line, it is unlikely to generate growth or help you acquire new customers. For all the hype that customers prefer sustainable companies, actual consumer behavior does not support this assumption. Some energy efficiency investments, such as LEDs and Variable Frequency Drives, have extremely high returns and generate additional benefits to process efficiency. However, most energy efficiency investments have relatively low investment returns, do not help grow the company, and divert capital from more productive uses. Exergy Energy, your Concierge Utility®, provides completely objective, unbiased data on the value of energy efficiency investments for its customers.
If you believe you will need backup power frequently (such as annually during hurricane season), then no – renting is considerably more expensive than owning or opting for Backup Power-as-a-Service because several months of rental payments typically equal the cost of a backup generator. Also, to ensure availability of a rental unit when you need it typically requires customers to pay a reservation amount on top of the rental payment. This reservation payment is usually equal to a couple month’s rent. Availability of rental generators is very uncertain; when a natural disaster strikes, rental generators are sold out in the first few hours.
The easiest way is to access the Energy Information Administration’s (“EIA”) website at https://www.eia.gov/. This is a non-partisan agency that provides comprehensive energy data for the United States.