Grid operators and utilities pay commercial facilities to reduce electricity consumption during high-demand periods — typically summer afternoons when the grid is under stress. These programs, called demand response, compensate participants based on how much load they're willing to commit to curtail and how reliably they deliver that curtailment during called events. Most commercial buildings naturally reduce consumption during peak hours anyway — HVAC systems ramp down, occupancy thins in the afternoon, tenants conserve without prompting. Demand response programs pay you for that behavior, on a scheduled and predictable basis, through automated control systems that require no action from your facilities team. Your portfolio's estimated peak demand of ~2,400 kW across 12 sites in NYISO and ConEd territory qualifies for programs that historically pay $15,000–$40,000 annually.

STS analyzes your historical interval meter data to determine your peak demand profile and curtailment potential, then enrolls your accounts in the optimal combination of demand response programs for your utility and ISO territory. For your portfolio, that includes NYISO's Installed Capacity (ICAP) program and ConEd's Brooklyn/Queens Demand Management (BQDM) program. STS installs automated demand response controllers at your sites at no cost. When the utility or ISO calls an event — typically a 1–4 hour window on weekday afternoons during summer — the system responds automatically. No action required from your staff. Performance is verified by interval meter and payment is issued post-season.

The GHG Protocol's Scope 2 guidance — the global standard for corporate carbon accounting — allows organizations to claim renewable electricity through market-based instruments, the most common of which is the Renewable Energy Credit (REC). One REC represents one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from a certified renewable source and retired on your behalf in a tracked registry. When you retire 12,000 RECs, you've matched your entire annual electricity consumption with verified renewable generation — regardless of what's actually flowing through your grid. This matters because CDP, ENERGY STAR, GRI, and Science-Based Targets all accept market-based Scope 2 accounting using RECs. Every major company with a "100% renewable" electricity claim uses RECs as part of their strategy. For your portfolio consuming approximately 12,000 MWh annually across 12 sites, the cost is modest and the ESG reporting impact is immediate and significant.

STS sources RECs from certified renewable projects that match your preferences for technology, geography, and vintage year. We work with wind and solar projects verified through WECC, NEPOOL, and PJM-GATS registries — the three major tracking systems for the northeastern and western markets where your portfolio operates. Once RECs are sourced and retired in your name, STS delivers a complete documentation package: retirement certificates from the registry, a CDP Scope 2 market-based reporting file, an ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager upload, and a GRI 302/305 disclosure package. Everything your sustainability team needs to report, in the format each framework requires.

The economics of energy efficiency are well understood: aging HVAC equipment runs 20–40% less efficiently than modern alternatives, HID and fluorescent lighting consumes 2–4x more electricity than LED, and buildings without modern controls and sensors waste energy continuously through poor scheduling and setpoint management. Your portfolio — HVAC averaging 14 years across 12 sites, with LED conversion not yet complete — has significant identified efficiency opportunity. The barrier is capital. Efficiency projects require upfront investment that competes with every other capital priority in the portfolio. Most efficiency opportunities sit unfunded for years because the capital budget is perpetually constrained — even when the savings ROI would outperform most other investments. Efficiency-as-a-Service eliminates the capital barrier entirely.

Under STS's EaaS model, STS funds, designs, procures, installs, and guarantees efficiency projects across your portfolio with zero capital from you. The project is paid back through the energy savings it generates — typically over a 5–10 year term. You keep the majority of savings from day one. STS guarantees the savings performance per IPMVP measurement and verification standards, meaning if the project underperforms, STS bears the financial risk. The process begins with an ASHRAE Level 1 or Level 2 energy audit across your priority sites. STS engineers identify and quantify every efficiency opportunity — LED, HVAC, controls, building envelope, and mechanical systems. We design the optimal project scope, engineer the solution, manage procurement and installation turnkey, and operate the M&V program for the full contract term.