SYRACUSE — Finding ways to save on energy costs can be a full-time job. That’s why BlueRock Energy Holdings says it founded BlueRock Energy Services — a new company focused on helping businesses and homeowners reduce their energy consumption and cut energy costs. The company expects to add 40 new jobs over the next two […]
SYRACUSE — Finding ways to save on energy costs can be a full-time job. That’s why BlueRock Energy Holdings says it founded BlueRock Energy Services — a new company focused on helping businesses and homeowners reduce their energy consumption and cut energy costs.
The company expects to add 40 new jobs over the next two years to fill energy audit, engineering, design, sales, accounting, and purchasing positions. BlueRock Energy Services is funded by international private investments in cooperation with Global Alliance Securities, an investment bank with offices in New York City, under the EB-5 program, a federal program designed to stimulate the economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors.
BlueRock Energy Services celebrated its grand opening on Dec. 10 with a ribbon-cutting at BlueRock Energy Holdings’ headquarters at 432 N. Franklin St. in Syracuse.
“We have a team here at BlueRock of very skilled experts on energy,” Philip Van Horne, CEO of BlueRock Energy Holdings, says in an interview. These experts monitor the energy industry full-time, tracking things such as consumption and pricing trends. “We can leverage that knowledge and expertise … to help our customers reduce their overall energy costs,” Van Horne says.
It can be challenging for a business, in particular, to take on an energy-savings project on its own, he says, due to the sheer amount of information and technology out there. “New technology is coming out literally weekly,” he says. That can make it tough for a customer, whether it’s a business or a homeowner, to know which options are the best solutions to their particular energy problems.
BlueRock Energy Services (www.bluerockenergyserevices.com) provides site assessments as well as product procurement, financing, logistics, installation management, rebate programs, training, and support.
For each customer, BlueRock Energy Services says it conducts an initial site assessment to collect information on the client’s current energy consumption. BlueRock project managers then design a plan with products/services to help reduce energy costs and increase operating efficiency.
“We use a consultative approach,” Van Horne says. “We look at the problem, and we’ll select the best brand, the best fixtures, and the best solution to the problem.”
Initially, BlueRock Energy Services is focusing on lighting solutions, he says. Lighting costs typically comprise anywhere from 25 percent to 40 percent of energy costs, so lighting changes can make a quick impact on those costs.
LED lighting is BlueRock’s lighting of choice for a variety of reasons, Van Horne says. Along with being extremely efficient, LED lighting avoids the dangerous chemicals found in compact fluorescent bulbs, another popular energy-saving choice. In addition, LED lighting provides a large array of lighting choices, allowing customers to select the best choice for their needs, he says. For example, lighting that most closely resembles natural, bright sunlight in a doctor’s office can help the doctor see better to give more thorough exams, he explains. A restaurant may choose softer, dimmer lighting to create a certain mood.
BlueRock Energy Services also provides energy monitoring services to help customers see when and where they are using the most energy. Eventually, BlueRock’s services will expand across the energy spectrum to include HVAC products and even on-site energy-generation options.
Marketing efforts
Van Horne expects the company will provide its services across the Northeast. The firm is currently marketing its services to existing BlueRock Energy Holdings customers as well as through sports-marketing channels.
BlueRock has a strong affiliation with the Buffalo Bills, a customer, and leverages that connection to help market its services. The company recently had Bills safety Aaron Williams take over its Twitter feed for one hour, where he answered 196 fan questions. “The engagement was unbelievable,” Van Horne says. Other activities include the Bills BlueRock Player of the Week fan voting, which takes place on the BlueRock website.
It’s about building brand recognition and capitalizing on the loyalty of sports fans, Van Horne says. Those fans who click through to vote will generally also take the time to read the BlueRock information that pops up on the screen. “Sports fans are very loyal, very engaged,” he contends.
Along with sponsoring the Bills, BlueRock also sponsors the Rochester Lancers indoor soccer team, Syracuse Chiefs minor league baseball team, and the Brooklyn Nets NBA basketball team and has in-venue, electronic, and social-media marketing plans with the teams.
“It brings in a lot of leads and a lot of customers,” Van Horne says. As the company is privately held, he declined to disclose any revenue information.
BlueRock Energy Holdings (www.bluerockenergy.com) provides electricity, natural gas, and renewable-energy products to more than 14,000 customers across New York.
Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com