As energy costs soar across the U.S. and as climate change exacerbates environmental problems across the globe, energy efficiency is more important than ever. The cost of doing business is on the rise, and increasing utility bills are putting many business owners in a dire financial situation. The best way to reduce your energy bill is of course to use less energy, but for a business it’s not as simple as turning off the lights when you leave the room.  

Often, though, businesses are using more energy than they need to due to outdated equipment, such as lighting and HVAC units. In fact, the average age of an HVAC unit is 10 to 15 years old, with some being older than 15 years. Upgrading equipment to newer, more efficient models can slash energy usage and ease monthly bills. 

Improving energy efficiency is also a simple way to help the climate by reducing emissions. This can aid corporate sustainability initiatives, and provide fodder to show climate-conscious customers how you’re doing your part.  

Energy efficiency is a win-win.  

Yet, taking on upgrades can sometimes be a challenge for business owners. Buying and installing new equipment takes money and time—which most business owners simply can’t afford to lose. Even though it saves money in the long run, most business owners don’t have the upfront capital needed for efficiency upgrades.  

That’s why many business owners choose to work with an energy efficiency partner. Doing so helps them get energy saving, without having to invest in new equipment and upgrades themselves.  

If you want the benefits of improved energy efficiency, but are not sure whether you should take it on alone or work with an energy efficiency partner, keep reading. This post explains the main drawbacks of the DIY route, and shares what you get when you choose a partner like Budderfly.  

Major drawbacks of doing energy efficiency on your own.  

You have to pay for equipment upgrades yourself.  

When making energy efficient upgrades on your own, you’ll need to supply the capital for new equipment yourself. Whether LED lights, new HVAC units, refrigeration systems, or other improvements, the cost of this new equipment will quickly add up. A new HVAC unit can cost between $15K to $18K, and most restaurants don’t just need one—they need 3 or 4. Even though energy-saving equipment will save you money quickly after installation, you’ll need a large chunk of cash up front.  

You have to find, hire, and manage multiple vendors and pay for installations. 

Beyond the actual parts, you’ll also need to pay for installation. And in addition to the financial cost of installation, it will also take a lot of time. You’ll need to research to find trustworthy vendors in your area, hire them, and then oversee the installation yourself. When you run a business, your time is incredibly valuable. The time you have to spend managing a project like this could be going into other aspects of growing your business, such as hiring, staffing, marketing, and more.  

Plus, you’ll have to take on the risk if the installers you hire encounter any issues. Unless you have technical expertise in this field, you may not even know if things are being installed correctly, meaning you may encounter burdensome problems down the line. 

Supply chain issues mean you may experience long wait times before you can get new equipment 

Energy efficient equipment is more in demand than ever, as businesses look to reap the benefits of reducing energy usage. That means getting your upgrades isn’t as simple as placing an order. It may take months before your equipment arrives. Adding in installation, you’ll be waiting a long time before you can start reaping the benefits of reducing your energy usage and utility bills.  

After installation, you’ll have to find vendors who can maintain and repair your equipment 

Once you’ve invested in the installation of energy efficient upgrades, your work’s not over. Maintaining and repairing equipment takes time and money as well, and you’ll need to make sure you can find reliable vendors who you can trust to help keep your equipment in good shape and give you a fair price for any repairs needed.  

You’ll struggle to quantify the impact of your upgrades and won’t know where the most energy is being saved. 

The benefits of making your business more energy efficient are manifold. Firstly, you’ll use less energy which helps you save money in the long run. Plus, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint and lessen your impact on the environment. Yet, understanding just how much upgrading your equipment is aiding these efforts can be murky, with complex utility billing and a lack of information about just how much your energy usage is decreasing. If you’ve made the effort to improve energy efficiency, it can be frustrating not to see the impact.  

Why working with an energy efficiency partner is best. 

1. We provide all upfront capital for equipment upgrades

When you work with an energy efficiency partner like Budderfly, you don’t have to spend any money on new equipment. Budderfly pays for all the upgrades—including LED lights, new HVAC units, refrigeration, and more—at absolutely no cost to business owners. Plus, we provide unique technology alongside new equipment that gives more sophisticated controls and monitoring capabilities. 

2. Our expert team takes care of installation.

We also pay for and manage installation of new equipment, saving you time, money, and hassle. Our team of experts is on site during installation and ensures every change is implemented perfectly.   

3. We have long-standing partnerships with brands like Lenox, Trane, and Carrier and a large distribution center to expedite getting new equipment.

Our strategic partnerships with equipment suppliers mean working with us gets you your upgrades much more quickly than buying it on your own. In our 15,000-foot warehouse, we keep equipment ready to deploy so you can get installed, and start saving, ASAP. 

4. We help maintain and repair equipment.

We offer an affordable program to help keep your free equipment upgrades in great working condition, with expert maintenance partners who know how to quickly solve any issues that may arise down the line with any of your HVAC, refrigeration, or other parts.   

Plus, we offer proactive monitoring to alert you of any issues. That means you can get helpful energy-saving intel, such as when a refrigerator is left open, or solve more complex equipment problems before they become catastrophic.  

5. We simplify your utility with one streamlined bill that shows how much you're saving. 

Utility bills can be a chaotic part of running a business, with a lot of different bills that show extreme variation throughout the year and make budgeting difficult. At Budderfly, we have a patented billing process that streamlines all your utilities into one monthly bill and makes money management significantly easier.  

Plus, our customer portal gives deep insights, from how much energy you’re saving to how you’re reducing your carbon footprint. Our technology measures how much energy you’re using at each point of consumption and you can see how you’re saving across locations. Plus, seeing your lessening carbon emissions can help you easily tell stories about how you’re doing your part to save the planet.  

Long story short, taking on an energy efficiency project yourself can be costly and involves a lot of risk uncertainty. Working with a leading energy efficiency partner like Budderfly solves these problems and gives you simple energy savings at no cost. Want to learn more about working with Budderfly? Contact us today.