Warehouse-scale energy efficiency, with C3 Carbon Funding
The cleanest watt-hour is the one never used. That’s why energy efficiency is often called the “first fuel” of climate action, because it allows us to cut wasted MWhs down to near zero. Considering that on average 30% of energy use in buildings is wasted, the potential impact of energy efficiency projects is enormous. We spoke to Kosh Samuel, C3 Carbon Funding’s CEO and President to learn why embracing energy efficiency can transform some of America’s biggest buildings and achieve pollution reduction, on a huge-scale. Here’s how C3 is partnering with WattCarbon to put a dollar sign on the environmental benefits of decarbonizing national parks, manufacturing facilities, schools, and more.
This article is part of WattCarbon’s Every Watt-Hour Tells a Story series, spotlighting how WattCarbon partners are deploying distributed clean energy to achieve climate impact, here and now.
The big idea?
The best climate protection? Using less energy generated from fossil fuels.
A maxim applied plenty to individual consumption habits.
But what if we applied the “waste not, want not” outlook to our systems; the large-scale commercial buildings that power our country in the background––the warehouses, the manufacturing facilities, the hospitals, the national parks, the schools?
You guessed it––we would achieve enormous energy and carbon savings. Simply by implementing technology which helps us use less energy in the first place.
Often referred to as the “first fuel” of climate action, energy efficiency is the secret sauce to unleashing the full benefit of renewables. When paired with distributed clean energy sources such as solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage, energy efficiency packs a punch above its weight; maximizing every last drop of sunlight.
“Without energy efficiency, we’ve got a leaky bucket, wasting emissions and making the transition slower and harder. Let’s tighten up the net and ensure every watt-hour is used to its full potential, ensuring a cleaner, greener, smarter future,” shares McGee Young , CEO and Founder of WattCarbon .
How efficient are our buildings??
The fossil energy system is incredibly inefficient, with nearly two-thirds of the global energy supply wasted during the production, transportation, and end-use processes.?
While advancements in energy efficiency are already reducing carbon emissions, there is still a huge opportunity to improve efficiency further and add additional value to the energy system.
Considering, on average, a shocking 30% of energy use in buildings is wasted, these kinds of interventions allow us to immediately improve efficiency, and cut those wasted MWhs down to near zero.
”Our energy system is stuck in the past. We need to build a new energy system that is rooted in optimization and efficiency,” says C3 Carbon Funding LLC CEO and President, Kosh Samuel .
What types of solutions are included in energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency is a catch all term for a ton of things that help us reduce energy use, and in particular reduce dirty energy use. Solutions include things like LED lighting retrofits, on-site solar, battery storage, improving the building shell through air sealing and insulation, HVAC upgrades like heat pumps, occupancy sensors and control systems, and in-building dashboards that allow for the optimization of energy use.?
These solutions create the optimal building, minimizing energy consumption and shifting supply to clean sources whenever possible.?
The benefits of energy efficiency projects?
In addition to carbon savings and pollution reduction, end users can significantly reduce their energy bill, which for cash strapped public organizations like schools and hospitals, is critically important.
So what’s the challenge??
Bluntly, large-scale building decarbonization projects aren’t cheap to do. Despite the long term benefits, upfront expenses and expensive interest rates prevent these climate-critical projects from adding up on paper.?
That’s where C3 comes in
C3 Carbon Funding is making these projects pencil out by enabling organizations to monetize the carbon savings from their large scale energy efficiency initiatives.?
For instance, C3 assisted a school board in getting their building decarbonization plan approved by highlighting additional revenue streams funded through Environmental Attribute Certificate (EAC) investments. Keeping school funds in the classrooms, instead of being swallowed up by bank fees and interest rates.
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Or working with a manufacturing facility in New York, where EAC funding improves the payback period, so building owners can get financing deals from the bank to get the go ahead.
For clean energy buyers, your investment can be the linchpin turning a “no” a to “yes” and making these projects happen.?
“This is about changing the way people understand, use, and benefit from energy reduction, and making sure businesses can put rubber to road when it comes to their climate goals,” says Samuel.
Making the business case for energy efficiency
Reality is, without regulation and adequate incentive structures, making the sustainability case alone won't be enough for most businesses to move these projects forward. Therein lies the opportunity for sustainability teams to help make the business case by removing the financial barriers to these projects.
“With a lack of mandates, big commercial buildings often need to make the business case for energy efficiency, and unfortunately, it doesn't always add up. Incentivization is always going to be the quickest way to cut pollution, fast. By valuing the environmental impacts of these energy savings, large commercial-scale projects can finally pencil out.” says Samuel.
The future of energy efficiency?
By investing in energy efficiency measures organizations can fast-track the collective effort towards cutting pollution and meeting climate targets.
“I imagine a future where energy efficiency measures are baked into every building, because when you’ve got a secret sauce to ensuring all other solutions can shine to their full capacity, why wouldn’t you use it?” shares Kosh Samuel.
“The cleanest watt-hour is the one that isn’t used, and Kosh’s team at C3 are prioritizing vital energy efficiency work to ensure we’re working smarter, not harder, to achieve a clean energy transition,” says McGee Young.?
Get involved
Interested in learning more? Discover EAC opportunities with C3 Carbon Funding on the WattCarbon Marketplace.
You’re invited: ‘Every Watt-Hour Tells a Story: Live’
Join us for our first “Every Watt-Hour Tells a Story: Live” webinar featuring Kosh Samuel, CEO & founder of C3 Carbon Funding and McGee Young, CEO & founder of WattCarbon.
?? Online
?? July 11, 2024
? 1-1.45pm EST
?? Register now
We’ll share insights into how corporate EAC investments can accelerate large scale commercial and public energy efficiency projects, with real world examples of how they’re lowering barriers to get projects done.
Understand how your investments can help decarbonize landmarks like National Park facilities, or improve the energy infrastructure of municipalities, or generate capital that can be used to invest back into education.
You'll learn: