Top 10 Energy Technology Startups - 2018

Braggawatt Energy: Energy Cost Savings That SMBs and Non-Profits Can Brag About

Oleg Popovsky, Chief Customer Officer

Rising electric utility prices and growing environmental threats have led many companies and nonprofits to take a closer look at alternate ways to power their buildings. Energy managers at top Fortune 500 companies—including Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Costco— have realized the value of on-site solar to lock in energy savings over 20 to 30 years. However, the renewable energy sector is still a fragmented marketplace, and it can be challenging for smaller companies and non-profits to understand how much they could actually save with solar, and choose the right partners to realize these savings.

Enter Braggawatt, an online platform that simplifies solar for SMBs and nonprofits by maximizing each customer’s unique savings potential. “Smaller and medium-sized enterprises deserve access to the same clever options that have enabled large organizations to benefit from solar,” says Oleg Popovsky, Chief Customer Officer of Braggawatt Energy. “Every customer is different. Our proprietary platform empowers business owners to compare their current energy costs with several options for saving money with solar, all in a matter of minutes,” adds Easan Drury, Chief Technology Officer, Braggawatt Energy.

Braggawatt has developed a partner-driven model that provides regional solar installers with customized tools that streamline each step in the project development cycle, from initial economic evaluation to financing, to project construction and interconnection. Behind the scenes, their free-to-use online platform collects necessary information including the customer’s location, their current electricity rate, and their credit history, and uses these to quantify each customer’s unique savings proposition and financing options. With $0 upfront cost options, Braggawatt funds the entire solar installation so customers can begin saving money right after project completion and before they have spent a dime. “We are more like a partner to installers and their clients, helping them navigate key steps to securing cost-effective solar savings,” says Drury. “We built our process for consistent transparency to ensure project viability and profitability are always in-balance with each customer’s savings objectives,” says Popovsky.

We are more of a partner that helps solar installers and their clients navigate the key steps to securing cost-effective solar savings

Behind the scenes, their free-to-use online platform collects necessary information including the customer’s location, their current electricity rate, and their credit history, and uses these to quantify each customer’s unique savings proposition and financing options. With $0 upfront cost options, Braggawatt funds the entire solar installation so customers can begin saving money right after project completion and before they have spent a dime. “We are more like a partner to installers and their clients, helping them navigate key steps to securing cost-effective solar savings,” says Drury. “We built our process for consistent transparency to ensure project viability and profitability are always in-balance with each customer’s savings objectives,” says Popovsky.

Braggawatt has helped numerous customers, from healthcare providers and non-profit fire departments to dental offices and commercial real estate owners, save money with their customized energy-saving solutions. One particular medical facility wanted to reduce their electricity costs through solar, but could not benefit from the 30 percent investment tax credit for solar and was looking for financing. Braggawatt provided a solar energy service contract, through which the system was fully funded by Braggawatt and installed by a regional contractor. This solar system has lowered the client’s energy costs, while also reducing emissions and providing greater flexibility for future cost reductions.

Currently, Braggawatt’s platform is only available to qualified solar installers. However, Braggawatt is launching a direct platform this August that will enable any company or nonprofit to explore their unique savings, at no cost, in a matter of minutes.

Any business owner curious to know their energy saving potential, can visit their website, enter their location and current energy spending get customized savings proposals tailored to their energy needs. Braggawatt’s process was initially developed for solar solutions, but now the team is already developing ways to finance other on-site energy solutions, including energy storage and retrofits. Braggawatt Energy is laser-focused on helping more companies and nonprofits take advantage of these new energy technologies, through a seamless process, to realize the same benefits that large corporations are already enjoying.