Commercial & industrial energy software
How we helped
an energy platform
find its next customers.
Read the case ABOUT THE COMPANY
Different energy assets.
One control layer.
Our client makes software that coordinates solar, batteries, generators and charging at commercial and industrial sites—even when the internet goes down.
THE BRIEF
Find the sites approaching
their next energy decision.
A site can use a lot of power without needing new controls. We worked back from real projects to find the changes that make coordination worth a conversation.
Understand who buys.
Start with comparable suppliers. Follow their customer projects back to the changes around them.
01 / THE STARTING POINT
Start with the system our client sells.
Their software brings different energy assets under one control layer. We focused the research on commercial and industrial sites where adding, replacing or coordinating those assets creates real work.
Their software brings different energy assets under one control layer. We focused the research on commercial and industrial sites where adding, replacing or coordinating those assets creates real work.
The client brief+
The scope is behind-the-meter commercial and industrial energy management: existing assets and new builds, across equipment brands. Residential and utility-scale projects were excluded.
02 / THE COMPETITOR UNIVERSE
Find suppliers solving the same problem.
We searched fourteen query families and read 530 pages. The result was a universe of 491 names—from controller specialists to broader energy suppliers. The next job was to separate a true alternative from a similar-sounding offer.
We searched fourteen query families and read 530 pages. The result was a universe of 491 names—from controller specialists to broader energy suppliers. The next job was to separate a true alternative from a similar-sounding offer.
The search scope+
Fourteen query families; 530 pages read; 491 names mapped. Product class, application and customer scope mattered more than a shared keyword.
03 / THE CLOSEST COMPARISON
Choose the closest twenty.
We scored thirty firms on product, application, customers, ecosystem and offer. Product fit carried the most weight. Twenty suppliers gave us a useful comparison for the work our client wants to win.
We scored thirty firms on product, application, customers, ecosystem and offer. Product fit carried the most weight. Twenty suppliers gave us a useful comparison for the work our client wants to win.
Scores and sources+
Weighted score: Product 45%, Application 20%, Clientele 15%, Ecosystem 10%, Offer 10%. The scoring rule was frozen after five manual checks.
- WATTMORE ↗ · overall 82.0 of 100
- Ageto ↗ · overall 70.3 of 100
- BoxPower ↗ · overall 70.1 of 100
- Elum Energy ↗ · overall 69.3 of 100
- Ampcontrol ↗ · overall 68.2 of 100
- Nhu Energy ↗ · overall 67.7 of 100
- S&C Electric ↗ · overall 67.0 of 100
- ComAp ↗ · overall 65.8 of 100
- Schneider Electric ↗ · overall 62.5 of 100
- Spirae ↗ · overall 62.2 of 100
- Eaton ↗ · overall 61.8 of 100
- SEL ↗ · overall 60.8 of 100
- Go Electric · overall 59.8 of 100
- Siemens ↗ · overall 59.1 of 100
- Fractal EMS ↗ · overall 57.7 of 100
- Encorp ↗ · overall 57.4 of 100
- Sustainable Power Systems ↗ · overall 57.2 of 100
- DEIF ↗ · overall 56.7 of 100
- PXiSE Energy Solutions ↗ · overall 54.3 of 100
- Power Factors ↗ · overall 53.5 of 100
04 / THE CUSTOMER EVIDENCE
Find the projects they’ve already won.
We followed supplier websites, buyer accounts, project partners and public announcements. From 2,227 names, we established 250 source-backed customer relationships—with the project and its evidence kept together.
We followed supplier websites, buyer accounts, project partners and public announcements. From 2,227 names, we established 250 source-backed customer relationships—with the project and its evidence kept together.
The evidence routes+
The customer funnel: 2,227 names → 250 evidenced relationships → 37 buyer-fit records → 36 dated records → 25 selected projects. A logo or a LinkedIn reaction alone did not establish a customer relationship.
05 / THE RESEARCH COHORT
Choose projects we can place in time.
We narrowed the relationships to relevant buyers and checked their dates. Twenty-five projects became the study set. A completion date stayed a completion date; it was never quietly turned into a contract date.
We narrowed the relationships to relevant buyers and checked their dates. Twenty-five projects became the study set. A completion date stayed a completion date; it was never quietly turned into a contract date.
The 25 projects+
The selected projects use public date bounds, completion accounts or launch references. Those dates do not all identify the private purchase decision.
- Castello di Amorosa · DEIF · Jan 2022
- Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception · Schneider Electric · Sep 2022
- Kaiser Permanente · Nhu Energy · Apr 2025
- Scale Microgrids · ComAp · Apr 2024
- Maui Brewing Company · Encorp · Sep 2019
- Vanderbilt University · Ampcontrol · Jan 2025
- Washington State University · SEL · Jul 2025
- University of California San Diego · SEL · Feb 2016
- First Student · Ampcontrol · Mar 2025
- WattEV · Ampcontrol · Jan 2025
- Jackson County School District · Ampcontrol · Feb 2023
- Global Container Terminals · Ampcontrol · Aug 2026
- E.S. Fox · WATTMORE · Feb 2026
- Sandbar Solar & Electric · Ageto · Feb 2019
- Mendocino Community Health Clinic · BoxPower · Dec 2020
- COSSMA · Elum Energy · Oct 2023
- Revel · Ampcontrol · Aug 2021
- Montclair State University · SEL · Jan 2019
- Alameda County · Encorp · Sep 2024
- Montgomery County · Schneider Electric · Nov 2022
- Piscataway Township · Schneider Electric · Sep 2025
- City of Columbus · Eaton · Feb 2023
- Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians · WATTMORE · Aug 2024
- Microsoft · Encorp · Dec 2019
- Oregon Military Department, Nesmith Readiness Center · Ageto · Jul 2021
06 / THE LOOK-BACK
Find what changed around each project.
We checked six kinds of change across the same twenty-five buyers: new assets, new sites, backup upgrades, energy programmes, retrofits and control changes. Each finding kept its source and its timing.
We checked six kinds of change across the same twenty-five buyers: new assets, new sites, backup upgrades, energy programmes, retrofits and control changes. Each finding kept its source and its timing.
Dates and evidence+
The research uses a two-year look-back relative to the recorded project reference. Some findings are documented with the project itself. Source timing and uncertainty remain attached rather than inventing a number of months before purchase.
07 / THE PATTERN TEST
See which changes keep coming back.
Seventeen buyers were adding coordinated energy assets. Twelve had site expansions; twelve had backup or islanding upgrades. In total, twenty-four of the twenty-five buyers had at least one of the six changes.
Seventeen buyers were adding coordinated energy assets. Twelve had site expansions; twelve had backup or islanding upgrades. In total, twenty-four of the twenty-five buyers had at least one of the six changes.
All six patterns+
Six signals produced 72 distinct buyer–signal pairings across 24 of 25 buyers. A buyer can appear in more than one signal. These are descriptive patterns in the selected cohort, not independently proven causes of purchase.
- Integrated energy-asset additions · 17 / 25
- New facility or operating-site expansion announced · 12 / 25
- Backup/islanding upgrades · 12 / 25
- Actionable energy/decarbonization programme launched · 11 / 25
- Energy retrofit with changed controls · 10 / 25
- Energy-control/interface changes · 10 / 25
08 / THE BUSINESS NEED
Read the need behind the project.
The project accounts explain the work behind those patterns: coordinate mixed assets, protect essential loads, or operate through a grid interruption. We used that context to shape a more useful first question.
The project accounts explain the work behind those patterns: coordinate mixed assets, protect essential loads, or operate through a grid interruption. We used that context to shape a more useful first question.
The published accounts+
These are published project accounts, not recordings of Mason buyer interviews. They establish the application and stated need; they do not establish every private buying motive.
Find the next sites.
Turn the research into source-backed accounts, with the site and its energy context attached.
09 / FROM RESEARCH TO SOFTWARE
Give each change a search of its own.
A new facility and a controls retrofit leave different evidence. We defined what to look for, where to find it, and how to check the site. Regional power disruption added context for the conversation.
A new facility and a controls retrofit leave different evidence. We defined what to look for, where to find it, and how to check the site. Regional power disruption added context for the conversation.
What the search checks+
Each brief specifies the event, the original source, the site and the relevance check. The six historical research signals guide the search; the current account package also uses regional outage context to shape a practical question.
10 / THE ACCOUNT OUTPUT
Keep the site behind the company name.
The latest package brings twenty reviewed accounts together. Each has a project or operating-site reason, its location, supporting sources and a relevant engineering role. County outage history adds local context where available.
The latest package brings twenty reviewed accounts together. Each has a project or operating-site reason, its location, supporting sources and a relevant engineering role. County outage history adds local context where available.
The current account package+
The 13 October 2026 package contains twenty reviewed accounts and final first-email drafts. Nothing was sent. A county outage episode is regional context, not proof that a specific facility lost power.
- USA Rare Earth
- Howmet Aerospace
- Frito-Lay
- Equinix
- Adventist Health
- Berkshire East Mountain Resort
- Padre Dam Municipal Water District
- GTrans (City of Gardena Transportation Department)
- Daily Planet Health Services
- Nelson-Jameson
- Ross Stores
- CurTec
- Locus Fermentation Solutions
- CHS
- Draper
- Saronic Technologies
- University of California, Davis
- San Diego Unified School District
- Ball Corporation
- LG Electronics North America
Make the opening useful.
A relevant project. A local finding. A specific question for the engineering team.
11 / THE WAY INTO THE ACCOUNT
Give the engineering team something useful.
For a new magnet plant in Blacksburg, we connected the project announcement to Cherokee County’s outage history. The offer was concrete: an event list and questions about protected loads and restart order.
For a new magnet plant in Blacksburg, we connected the project announcement to Cherokee County’s outage history. The offer was concrete: an event list and questions about protected loads and restart order.
The site context+
USA Rare Earth announced the Blacksburg plant groundbreaking on 9 September 2026, with commissioning targeted for 2028. The county record’s longest qualifying episode was 249.5 hours in September–October 2024. This is a regional planning scenario, not a claim that the future plant experienced an outage.
Company source ↗12 / THE FINAL MESSAGE
Make the message about their decision.
The final reviewed email starts with the plant they are building, adds one relevant local finding, and offers something the engineering team can use. This is the actual draft from the account package.
The final reviewed email starts with the plant they are building, adds one relevant local finding, and offers something the engineering team can use. This is the actual draft from the account package.
Read the complete email+
Final reviewed first email, 13 October 2026. Draft only; not sent. No reply-rate, meeting or revenue result is claimed.
Blacksburg’s new magnet plant
Hi {first_name},
I saw the September 9 groundbreaking for your $1.2B Blacksburg magnet plant, with commissioning targeted for 2028. That seems like a useful point to decide which loads must survive a grid interruption and which can restart later.
I pulled Cherokee County’s outage record. Its longest qualifying episode lasted 249.5 hours in September–October 2024.
Would the event list and a short set of questions on protected loads and restart order be useful for the engineering team?
Joe
THE POINT OF THE WORK
A better place to begin
the next sale.
A defined competitor set. Customer relationships with evidence.
Specific changes to look for. Something useful to say.