It’s no big secret to business owners that energy costs are one of the biggest expenses their business faces. In fact, commercial buildings represent 43% of all of the energy consumed by buildings in the United States, yet are still just a tiny fraction of the energy efficiency market, according to the International Energy Agency.

It’s clear how becoming more energy efficient should be a priority for business owners. Earlier this month, the COSE/GCP Energy Team hosted a workshop on financing solutions that make energy projects feasible and help businesses become more energy efficient, thus improving their bottom line.

Listed below are the 17 things you need to know about how companies are using (or misusing) energy and how they can obtain financing to make their energy consumption more efficient.

1. Barriers to investment. According to a 2016 International Facilities Management Association study of sub-100,000-square-foot buildings, owners listed financial capacity and technical expertise continue to be barriers to investment in energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades.

2. No budget. More than three out of four owners (76%) have no specific energy budget.

3. Limited third-party options. A total of 87% of owners have limited access to third-party financing options, largely because they do not know that such financing exists.

4. No contract. Almost nine out of 10 owners (88%) have no energy services agreement or contract.

A solution

C-PACE financing could be a solution for the business owners listed above. What is C-PACE and how can it help?

5. What is C-PACE? C-PACE is a government financing policy that classifies energy-saving upgrades as a public benefit, such as a sewer, road extension, etc.

6. How can C-PACE Help? With C-PACE, private lenders provide capital to build qualifying projects and they are repaid through the property tax bill over the life of the equipment (often 20 or more years). This makes most projects cash flow positive from day one.

7. What qualifies? Most energy efficiency and water projects qualify.

How PACE financing can help

So, what are the benefits of C-PACE financing for pre-existing buildings?

8. Attractive terms. It provides long-term financing with fixed rates of up to 20-year terms.

9. Attractive cost. The cost of capital is low.

10. All-in financing. This is 100% financing. No capital outlay is required from the property owner (hard or soft costs).

11. NOI positive projects. With no capital outlay and long-term financing term, projects generally cash flow and generate net operating income beginning on day one.

12. Non-recourse financing. The financing is non-recourse, with no corporate or personal guarantees required.

13. Non-accelerating financing. The financing is non-accelerating, even in the event of the sale of the property.

14. It’s not debt. It does not consume credit capacity because it’s not considered debt.

15. Flexible structure. It can be structured to pass through costs with tenants for NNN leases.

16. Fast underwriting. Fast-tracked underwriting can lead to a quick close.

Contact the COSE/GCP Energy Team today

17. Contact us today. And what’s the 17^th takeaway on all this? It’s to contact the COSE/GCP Energy Team at energy@gcpartnership.com and let the Team evaluate your project, prescreen your business for C-PACE and connect you with the capital and resources you need to start saving on your energy expenses.

When Google announced its free “Gmail” service on April 1, 2004, many initially thought it was to be a cute April Fool’s joke. Over six years and more than a dozen free or nearly free applications later, Google apps and other cloud-based options have moved from nice consumer toys to serious enterprise tools. For many CIOs, the question has changed from “Can cloud-based applications like this be taken seriously?” to “Will I be taken seriously if I don’t strongly consider Google Apps for my organization?” Join us for a discussion of IT leaders who swear by them, swear at them, and ponder the future of Google apps and other cloud applications in the enterprise. 

Panelists included: Matt Hallock, Expedient; Stephen Hujarski, ASW Global; Michael Kimmel, Cleveland Institute of Art 

Listen here.

Keynote Presenter: Anuj Dhanda, CIO - PNC 

The CIO Symposium strives to bring thought-provoking and engaging keynote presenters to our conference. This year is no exception as Anuj Dhanda, CIO of PNC, will present our afternoon keynote. As the 12th largest bank in the country, PNC's IT needs are varied and critical. Mr. Dhanda will share information on the company's IT strategy and offer insight into some of the merger issues with the company's acquisition of National City Corporation. 

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The merits of open source are not limited to lower initial cost to implement, and many of the initial concerns of the enterprise (security issues, lack of support, revision issue) have largely been confronted. As we move deeper into the second decade of open source software, we’ll explore new challenges, new opportunities and new examples of “free” software that continually requires re-examination. Panelists from Abercrombie&Fitch, IdeaEngine and Revol Wireless shared their expertise.

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AJ Hyland, CEO – Hyland Software, presents Entrepreneurial Lessons for Tech Teams 

Founded in 1991, Hyland Software is one of the 200 largest software firms in the U.S. with more than 10,000 customers and over 1200 employees world-wide. A.J. Hyland, President and Chief Executive Officer, joined the company in 1993 and has held a variety of positions. In 1997, A.J. was promoted to President and in 2001 he was promoted to CEO. 

AJ shares details on the key entrepreneurial traits that Hyland demonstrates and offers insight into how tech teams can leverage entrepreneurial traits to greater success within a corporate environment. 

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Organizations that believe they can save money and enhance productivity just by saying, “BYOD? We’re cool with that”, are really setting themselves up for a fall. 

This issue is about connection and communication, not the hardware itself. The benefits that arise from getting this point right all arise from the standard considerations - reduction of cost and risk plus value creation. 

The questions IT needs to answer come thick and fast. Which devices? Do we include tablets? Fully employee owned, company subsidized, company “leased” for its teams? All good questions, but BYOD isn’t only about devices, but something much more important - their use. 

This session will explore the successes, challenges and key issues for peer IT executives and their organizations that are developing and implementing BYOD strategies.

Listen here.