Energy Conservation Business Opportunities in Multifamily Housing: Feasibility Analysis/Business Plan for Proposed Residential Balancing Venture: (Final Report)

摘要

The City of Chicago's Department of Planning and the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) engaged Charles Rial and Associates (CRA) to assess the initial feasibility of an independent residential balancing service as a venture opportunity for a community-based organization (cbo). This document represents CRA's final report on the feasibility of the proposed venture. To assess the feasibility of a residential balancing venture, CRA determined the market potential for such a service, reviewed the efforts of the Chicago Energy Savers Fund, and interviewed engineering firms and heating and boiler contractors. It was determined that a stand-alone venture that offers balancing as its service will not reach a broad enough market to support a break-even operation and therefore, does not represent a feasible venture opportunity. A more feasible approach would involve a joint-venture between an established heating/boiler contractor and a cbo. A summary of the findings that led to this conclusion is provided. (ERA citation 12:037062)