In 2020, a midstream oil services provider approached 5 to help manage the electricity for a new facility that was ramping up its operations in the Midland Basin. This new facility gathers and stores crude oil from various wellheads in West Texas and connects it to local refineries through its pumping stations. Most of the electricity at this midstream facility is used to power a series of 200 to 400 HP variable frequency drive motors that will deliver more than 100,000 barrels per day to several downstream delivery points. This client hired 5 to help in modeling the electricity usage as the facility went into operations and gradually increased its pumping capacity. The rapidly fluctuating demand for crude oil during the pandemic added to the complexity of forecasting and budgeting this facility’s energy costs and consumption.

Klein Tools, founded 160 years ago by a German immigrant, Mathias Klein, continues to be led by his family, six generations later. The Klein family takes great pride in carrying on Mathias' legacy of creating and manufacturing the highest quality tools and related products. Klein Tools is headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL and has offices, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities throughout the country. Klein Tools are so well known and respected among professionals in the electrical industry that a Lineman’s pliers are often referred to as “Kleins.”

Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL) is an international advisory and investment firm that promotes and supports the investment and development of clean energy and energy efficiency projects around the world. With offices in the UK, Ireland, Singapore and New York, SDCL funds energy efficiency projects that reduce both operating costs and carbon emissions. SDCL invests in projects that improve building operations, deliver better energy solutions and increase property asset values.

Houghton College had a number of exciting energy projects on campus prior to engaging the team at 5. These projects were driven by their commitment to sustainability and featured a campus-wide LED lighting retrofit project, a 2.6 MW solar array and other initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint. 5 was able to partner with Houghton College’s sustainability and finance teams to put all of the pieces together into a comprehensive strategy for energy procurement and demand-side management.

After conducting a benchmarking study for a chain of hardware stores, 5 found that one of the client’s locations used considerably more energy per square foot than any of their other stores.

5 conducted a benchmarking analysis for a national chain of quick-serve restaurants. The goal of the study was to understand how electricity consumption varied across four distinct designs currently being utilized for their restaurants.

In 2012, a global leader in the explosives industry was seeking an end-to-end energy advisory service to provide a holistic strategy for reducing and controlling energy costs. The client decided to work with 5 based on the experiences of the team and the personal reputation of Todd Clift, 5’s Senior Energy Advisor in Central Texas. As is the case with all new client engagements, 5 took the time to analyze and understand the client’s usage patterns, peak demand, operational needs, and long-term goals.

Not only did 5 create and implement a procurement strategy that has been modified and utilized several times since that first year, but the team also performed a tax audit and found that the client was eligible for a tax rebate after a predominant use study showed that more than 51% of their operations were related to manufacturing. 5 engaged the help of a licensed professional engineer to complete the predominant use study and assisted the client in requesting a refund from the previous four years through the state comptroller.

5 is proud to serve this innovative client with procurement, demand-side management, and other cost-saving initiatives as this industry leader continues to expand and innovate.

Several recent legal challenges related to Demand Response (DR) may have a long-term impact on Demand Response programs, including how Demand Response participants get paid, and by whom.

The issues involve two separate cases about how energy and capacity are treated in DR programs. In one case, grid operators and power plants followed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Order 745 for three years until it was challenged in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland Regional Transmission Organization (PJM RTO) market by a group of power producers. Order 745 sets the value of DR payments in energy markets to equal the hourly wholesale Locational Marginal Price (LMP) in effect at the time of demand reduction. This mechanism trims demand from the generators at times when hourly pricing is highest thereby cutting into their revenue during these high-priced periods.