Partners Group – Edward Hill – 2018

Goals

Partners Group, a global private markets investment manager, enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Edward Hill to help establish a framework that could lead to further energy and resource efficiency improvements across the firm’s portfolio of investments owned on behalf of its clients. This included proposing an energy management roadmap for one of its portfolio companies, a restaurant franchise business, and evaluating an existing energy efficiency pilot project deployed across its real estate portfolio.

Solutions

Hill met with the restaurant franchise business’ stakeholders to assess existing energy management practices. He also gathered benchmark data for each restaurant’s energy performance, arranged utility sponsored energy audits and recommended various energy solutions which including LED lighting swaps and implementation of building management systems controls.

By consolidating key steps and the resources identified in this project, he created a “playbook” for Partners Group which included:

• A method to assess and prioritize portfolio companies for energy savings opportunities

• An engagement proposal template

• Initial framework for implementing energy efficiency with recommended energy solutions providers

Hill also assessed Partners Group’s existing real estate energy efficiency pilot project by inspecting processes, and interviewing vendors and internal stakeholders. He provided recommendations for improved vendor alignment, streamlined processes and guidance for a broader rollout.

Potential Impact

If implemented, Hill’s projects at the portfolio company could potentially save the organization over 5,800,000 kWh per year and approximately $1,600,000 in annual energy costs, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 2,500 metric tons. Over 10 years of the project lifetime, this could potentially deliver a net present value of over $9,000,000. The playbook provides a useful tool for identifying and implementing projects like the one at the restaurant franchise business, and the recommended improvements to the existing energy efficiency pilot could aid in the development of a larger strategy to further improve energy management across the entire portfolio.