Jun 28 2013
Green Mountain Energy Company and EnTouch Controls now offer small businesses in Texas an off-the-shelf solution for monitoring and conserving energy use. Newly launched Green Mountain Energy® Smart for Small Business™enables small commercial customers to sign up for a renewable energy plan and, at the same time, get EnTouch Controls’ simple, self-implementing solution for managing energy use.
When Smart for Small Business customers enroll on a Green Mountain electricity plan, an EnTouch Elite thermostat is included in the price of the plan and is shipped directly to them. The EnTouch Elite is a WiFi connected HVAC controller with a Cloud-based service for monitoring, adjusting the temperature and reporting on temperature and power consumption. The device can be self-installed and can be remotely accessed and controlled via a desktop computer, smart phone or tablet.
EnTouch and Green Mountain began working together in late 2012 when they first offered the EnTouch Energy Management System (EMS) to Green Mountain’s small commercial customers, customizing the solution for each deal. According to the most recent Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, small buildings comprise nearly 90 percent of the nation’s commercial buildings and use 50 percent more energy per square foot than larger facilities in part due to inefficiencies.
However, Green Mountain and EnTouch quickly realized the additional unmet need for a simple, straightforward solution for the smaller commercial customers who don’t need that level of customization. Smart for Small Business was designed specifically for single-location businesses with annual electricity usage of 50,000 – 300,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh).
“We’re excited about the launch of Smart for Small Business and this evolution in our relationship with Green Mountain, because it will now be even easier to meet the needs of all types of small commercial customers,” said Greg Fasullo, CEO for EnTouch Controls. “We know Green Mountain’s sustainability mission means they’re always interested in helping businesses and homes conserve energy, and so we are happy to team up with them again to help small businesses gain access to our EnTouch Elite energy management tool.”
Green Mountain Energy® Smart for Small BusinessTM Highlights:
- Ideal for customers using 50,000 – 300,000 kWh of electricity annually; typically a single-location business
- Customer pays an additional half-penny per kWh on any Green Mountain Energy® electricity product
- Green Mountain will ship one EnTouch Elite directly to the customer for every 50,000 kWh annual usage
- Customer receives instant access to Cloud-based online and smart phone tools to help manage energy usage and costs
- Avoids carbon emissions by using clean, renewable energy for at least a portion of the organization’s electricity needs
“Green Mountain customers know that sustainability and economics must go hand in hand, and Smart for Small Business delivers on that,” said Jeff Bettison, vice president of Commercial Sales Operations, Green Mountain Energy Company. “Teaming up with EnTouch Controls for this new offering means that we can now help even more small business customers achieve better facility management while reducing their environmental impact.”
Case Study: Promise House
Promise House, a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding at-risk teenagers, began using the EnTouch Energy Management System in the summer of 2012. Located in the same Dallas area neighborhood as EnTouch, the non-profit is no stranger to Texas’s scorching summer heat and needed to keep its energy costs down. It also cares about sustainability and chose Green Mountain as its retail electric provider. Every penny saved on cooling costs goes back towards the non-profit’s programs, meaning the more utility bill savings, the more money there is to go back to providing shelter, counseling, outreach and educational intervention to homeless and runaway teens.
“As Texans, we know what it’s like to sweat all summer – both in terms of paying electricity bills and dealing with the triple-digit temperatures,” said Judy Wright, vice president of External Affairs, Promise House. “Being empowered with a monitoring system to help save energy ultimately helps us save more teens that need help. We also received great support from EnTouch and Green Mountain in the process.”
Source: http://www.entouchcontrols.com/