Across the country, energy costs are climbing and many organizations are feeling the pressure.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports an average price increase of 21% for commercial and 18% for industrial customers over the last decade. Across the U.S., these increases are due to utilities raising rates to cover infrastructure upgrades, grid modernization, and state-level energy standards. In many regions, peak demand charges are also increasing, which can dramatically raise monthly bills for businesses with high electricity use.

For commercial leaders, that means energy costs are becoming difficult to predict and even harder to control.

Solar and other renewable energy solutions have become one of the most reliable ways to stabilize energy spending and reduce reliance on the grid. Yet many organizations hesitate to move forward for one simple reason: upfront costs.

The good news is that paying cash for a solar system is no longer the only option. Today’s financing models allow businesses to adopt solar with little or no upfront investment while still capturing meaningful savings.

Why Some Organizations Choose Direct Ownership

When a business owns its solar energy system, it captures the full financial return from the project.

Direct ownership allows organizations to claim federal tax incentives such as the Investment Tax Credit and accelerated depreciation, along with any available state or utility incentives. Over time, those benefits can significantly reduce the overall cost of the system while delivering long-term energy savings.

Direct ownership also gives organizations full control over the system and how it operates. For companies with available capital and a long-term outlook, this option can deliver the greatest lifetime savings.

But many organizations prefer to keep capital available for core business investments. That’s where alternative financing models come in.

Power Purchase Agreements

A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is one of the most common ways commercial organizations install solar without upfront costs.

In this model, a third-party investor owns and operates the solar system installed at your facility. Your organization simply purchases the electricity it produces. Instead of paying for the equipment itself, you pay for the energy generated by the system, often at a fixed rate that is lower than your current utility price.

Because the provider owns the system, they also claim the available incentives such as tax credits, rebates, and renewable energy credits. Those incentives help lower the price offered to the customer.

PPA contracts typically run for about 20–25 years. At the end of the agreement, organizations often have the option to:

Extend the agreement
Purchase the system
Have the equipment removed

For many businesses, a PPA offers a simple way to reduce energy costs without adding operational responsibilities.

Operating Leases

Operating leases share several similarities with PPAs, but the payment structure works differently. Instead of paying for the electricity produced, the customer pays a fixed monthly lease payment for the solar equipment.

Key characteristics of operating leases include:

Fixed monthly payments
No large upfront capital investment
Third party typically receives tax incentives
Immediate reduction in utility costs

Because the payment structure is fixed, organizations often find operating leases easier to budget than performance-based energy pricing.

Similarly to PPAS, at the end of the lease term, organizations may have the option to renew, purchase the system, or replace the current agreement with a new one.

Capital Leases

Capital leases operate differently from both PPAs and operating leases. In many ways, they resemble traditional financing.

Under this model, the organization leasing the solar equipment is often treated as the economic owner of the asset. That means the business may be able to claim incentives such as tax credits and depreciation.

Capital leases also typically have shorter terms, often around seven to 10 years. Because the timeline is shorter, payments can be higher during the lease period.

However, the structure offers additional financial flexibility, including:

Access to federal tax credits and depreciation
Faster path to full ownership
Flexible payment and recapitalization structures
Ability to apply incentives toward principal balance

This model often appeals to organizations that want a no-upfront-cost solution but still want access to ownership-style financial benefits.

Hybrid Energy Financing Models

Beyond traditional PPAs and leases, hybrid structures are becoming more common as the energy market evolves. These models often combine performance-based incentives with shared financial benefits.

For example, shared savings agreements allow both the customer and provider to benefit from the system’s performance. If the project generates greater savings or revenue, both parties share the upside.

Another growing model is Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS). This structure expands the concept of a PPA beyond electricity. Instead of paying strictly for kilowatt-hours (kWh), customers may pay based on the value delivered, such as:

Energy savings
Heating or cooling output
Lighting performance
Water savings

Some hybrid models also integrate grid services like demand response. In these cases, a facility may temporarily reduce energy use or dispatch stored energy during periods of high grid stress (e.g. brownouts). When that happens, the customer can receive financial compensation that is shared with the service provider.

These arrangements are particularly valuable in wholesale power markets where grid demand spikes can drive higher prices.

Choosing the Right Financing Model

There is no single financing structure that works for every organization.

Some companies prioritize long-term financial returns and prefer direct ownership. Others focus on preserving capital and reducing operational complexity, making PPAs or leases a better fit.

When evaluating solar financing options, organizations typically weigh factors such as:

Available capital for infrastructure investments
Appetite for tax incentives and depreciation benefits
Risk tolerance related to system ownership
Long-term energy cost strategy

With electricity prices continuing to rise and incentives still available, many commercial leaders are taking a closer look at solar.

Flexible financing options are making it easier than ever to move forward without placing strain on capital budgets. Organizations that explore these options today are often the ones best positioned to control their energy costs tomorrow.

Your One-Stop Partner for Solar Projects

SitelogIQ helps businesses navigate financing options and align funding strategies with project goals. We eliminate the administrative burden that comes along with energy transition financing. We have a team dedicated to identifying, applying, and managing incentives and rebates on your behalf. And with a list of vetted third-party financing partners, we ensure funding strategies are aligned with your organization’s risk appetite, capital availability, and project goals.

We’re also your consultant, contractor, and strategic partner for all steps of the solar project process. We’ve deployed 90+ megawatts of solar power to date, supporting customers from site assessments and engineering, through installation and incentive management.

Let’s chat about your energy transition goals and how you can take advantage of financing strategies that fit your organization’s goals.

Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is rising quickly as prices drop, technology improves, and more models hit the market.

But even as EV sales accelerate, the growth in public charging hasn’t kept pace.

Many drivers—especially those who live in apartments, urban areas, or who travel long distances—still face challenges finding reliable charging options away from home. This gap not only fuels range anxiety but also slows the broader transition to electrified transportation.

One of the most effective solutions to overcoming this challenge is direct current fast charging (DCFC), which can help address the infrastructure gap and make EV ownership more practical for a wider audience. As EV adoption grows, expanding DCFC availability will be critical to ensuring the charging experience keeps pace with consumer demand.

What Is DCFC EV Equipment?

DCFC, also called Level 3 or DC fast charging, is the fastest and most powerful charging option available for EVs. DCFC stations are often installed near heavy-traffic areas and can charge a vehicle’s battery to 80% in as little as 20 minutes.

DCFC is typically installed at public or commercial sites because it requires very high levels of power and more costly equipment, making it less practical for residential or workplace settings.

While DCFC can be more expensive compared to other equipment alternatives that offer less output, there are a variety of incentive programs available across the U.S. that can cover some or all of the cost of the electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE), and corresponding infrastructure upgrades, construction, and installation.

Active DCFC / Level 3 Charging Programs Across the U.S.

The list below includes notable and active DCFC programs that are accepting applications as of March 2026. To access the full details about each program, including the incentive amount, click here. 

Note: This post will be updated periodically as programs open and close. Please refer to the program website for complete details or contact SitelogIQ for more information.

Note that there are also a variety of active Level 2 programs available to offset costs.

How Do I Apply for an EV DCFC Incentive Program?

EV charging incentive programs offer grants, rebates, or funding to offset installation costs, but they’re limited, deadline-driven, and often on a first-come first-served basis.

Applications must meet detailed requirements around the site, business type, charger specs, and access, and errors or delays can mean losing out. That’s why businesses turn to partners like SitelogIQ to navigate and manage the process.

Your Partner for Every Step of the EV Charging Process

SitelogIQ is your one-stop partner for all project phases of EV charging installation, including incentive application and management. In addition to being your consultant and contractor, we’re also a strategic partner that manages all phases of a project from planning and utility coordination to installation and incentive management.

We sit on your side of the table and act as your agent in the marketplace across legal, financing, and hardware/software vendor selection. We’ll handle the incentive program homework for you, so you never leave money on the table.

We’re here to help you navigate the entire EV charging installation process. Let’s chat about your needs today.

On-site EV chargers have quickly shifted from a nice-to-have amenity to a necessity for multifamily residents. More than one-third of renters surveyed are interested in at-home charging as an amenity and nearly 50% say they are considering an EV as their next vehicle.

While 80% of EV charging takes place at home, an estimated 5% or less of that is at a multifamily property. This is often due to a “charging gap,” which is a top reason some drivers hesitate to make the switch from all-gasoline vehicles.

For multifamily property owners, this demand creates both a challenge and an opportunity. Installing EV charging stations helps modernize your properties, attract and retain residents, move towards sustainability and ESG goals, and boost investor confidence. Still, installing EV charging infrastructure can be costly—between equipment, labor, potential utility upgrades, and the electricity to power stations, these expenses add up.

While there are plenty of low or no-CapEx funding options to reduce upfront installation costs, some multifamily owners may also qualify for Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) programs for ongoing financial return.

Understanding Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Programs

LCFS is a market-based program designed to reduce transportation emissions by rewarding the use of cleaner fuels, like electricity for EVs. Each time electricity replaces gasoline or diesel, it lowers carbon emissions, and those reductions can be converted into LCFS credits.

These credits are bought and sold on a private, regulated market where fuel producers purchase them to offset their carbon output. For EV charging providers, that means turning clean energy use into real financial value.

While California, Oregon, and Washington have active LCFS programs, California is the only state that currently includes multifamily property owners.

California’s LCFS for Multifamily Properties

Under California’s program as of July 1, 2025, multifamily housing property can generate credits based on their EV charger energy consumption. With just the charging data, you can unlock a new revenue stream to offset charging costs, pay for maintenance, or invest in new chargers across any site in California.

Property owners must:

Pay for the electricity used by Level 2 or Level 3 chargers.
Use networked (“smart”) chargers that measure electricity accurately.
Serve at least four (4) condominium units or three (3) apartment units.
Offers communal chargers where any tenant can use the charging port.

For qualifying properties, LCFS credits can help offset both installation and operating costs, making EV charging a more attainable and financially sustainable amenity.

Why California Multifamily Owners Should Participate in the LCFS Program

Installing EV chargers at your properties is an investment, and one that often gives property owners sticker shock. But California’s LCFS program changes the math for your properties across the state, turning a long-term investment into one that offers payback quickly.

When residents or visitors charge their vehicles, your property earns carbon credits that can be sold on California’s private LCFS market. That’s a new revenue stream to offset installation costs and utility bills, and to help you allocate budget to other amenities that modernize your communities.

Beyond the dollars, there are additional advantages:

LCFS credits can recoup part of what you spend on charger installation and ongoing electricity use. It’s a revenue stream that grows as EV adoption rises among tenants.
The credits you generate have market value. You’re being rewarded for cutting carbon use, with payments that continue for years.
Renters pay attention to EV charging. It’s a marker of convenience and progress, and it signals that the property is built for where transportation is headed, not where it’s been.
LCFS participation gives you data-backed proof of emission reductions, a metric investors and residents increasingly expect to see.
Charging access will soon be a standard expectation. Getting ahead of that curve now protects your property’s relevance and long-term value.
Every kilowatt-hour delivered through your chargers helps close the state’s charging gap and moves California closer to its clean transportation goals.

LCFS isn’t just a policy program—it’s a bridge between sustainability and profitability. For multifamily owners, it’s a way to modernize responsibly and make the numbers work.

Your One-Stop Partner for Every Step in the EV Charging Process

The buying and selling process of LCFS credits is often cumbersome and can result in a major administrative burden. Having a partner that facilitates these transactions helps to simplify the process and ensures you’re unlocking the full revenue potential of credits. 

SitelogIQ partners with FuSE for enrollment and ongoing management support.

In addition to being your consultant and contractor, we’re also a strategic partner that manages all phases of a project from planning and utility coordination to installation and incentive management.

We’re here to help you navigate the entire EV charging installation process. Let’s chat about your needs today. 

Across the country, utilities are implementing unprecedented increases for commercial and industrial customer electricity rates. In the first half of 2025 alone, filings for new hikes topped $29 billion, more than double the pace of increases last year.

Recent headlines make it clear rate increases have no sign of slowing:

“Edison electric bills set to rise 10% under state plan. More hikes coming soon”
“Energy prices are rising, Duke Energy rate payers could see another rate hike in the near future”
“ComEd customers seeing bills double amid rising electric cost”

These rate increases represent millions of dollars in additional operating costs across commercial and industrial businesses. While energy costs used to be an inevitable part of business operations, they are quickly becoming a major risk factor that can impact asset value, competitiveness, profitability, and long-term growth.

Where Are Energy Costs Increasing?

The short answer: Energy costs are rising in most regions across the U.S. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average price of electricity has increased by nearly 21% for commercial customers and about 18% for industrial customers over the last decade.

For many regions, some of the steepest increases have been felt in the last 5 years:

All data above courtesy of EIA.

Why Energy Rates Are Rising

Energy rates are rising across the country for a variety of reasons:

Utilities are investing in protecting the grid and building resiliency against extreme weather such as storms, floods, heatwaves, and wildfires. These costs are often passed directly to customers.
Peak demand curves are being reshaped by data centers, EV charging networks, and industrial expansions, forcing utilities to expand capacity and replace aging infrastructure.
Older power plants are retiring, making it more costly to meet today’s demand and generate enough back-up power.
Despite recent federal rollbacks, some state-level clean energy standards still require utilities to add renewables and upgrade the grid.

While there is not a single reason that energy costs are rising, commercial and industrial customers are feeling the brunt from grid modernization and resiliency, new energy-heavy loads, and managing the loss of older assets.

4 Key Markets Feeling the Impact of Increasing Energy Costs

Any industry or business that relies heavily on energy will continue to feel the impact of rising costs. However, there are several that are greatly feeling the pressures, including:

Why Businesses Should Act Right Now As Energy Rates Continue to Increase

Energy costs are moving in one direction, and it isn’t trending down. The infrastructure investments, rising demand, and plant retirements behind today’s increases will keep pushing rates higher in the years ahead. For businesses, standing still means absorbing those costs as they grow, month after month.

But there is a window of opportunity right now. Federal incentives remain in place to lower the cost of projects like solar and energy storage but recent legislation is quickly phasing these programs out. That means the same project could cost more if it’s delayed. State programs can also shift quickly, with limited funding pools and deadlines that make timing critical.

The path forward is clear: Businesses that act now can capture incentives while they last, reduce exposure to future rate hikes, and lock in predictable energy costs for years to come. Waiting only narrows the options and raises the price of action later.

SitelogIQ is your one-stop partner to help you assess, design, and install energy upgrade projects. We have a dedicated team to help you navigate changes and qualify for tax credits before the impending deadlines.

We support all project phases of energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable solutions. One partner, one source of accountability, one comprehensive strategy—across all properties or locations.

With the new legislation, time is of the essence. Let’s chat about your energy upgrade goals and how you can take advantage of incentives that are still available today.

The passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) brings a wide range of changes across federal tax policy, government spending, and energy-related programs. And many commercial business owners with planned or in-progress energy upgrade projects have questions about its impact.

While the bill covers a lot of ground, a handful of provisions are especially relevant for commercial energy projects, particularly those that rely on federal incentives to lower upfront costs.

For commercial building owners or facility managers involved in capital planning and long-term upgrades, here’s what’s changing:

Section 179D for commercial energy efficiency deduction ends for projects that begin after June 30, 2026.
Section 30C, a tax credit for installing EV charging infrastructure, is being phased out.
Renewable energy tax credits, like 48E, will be fully phased out by the end of 2027, unless supplies are safe harbored by 7/4/26, which allows for full credit if projects are completed in the following four years. 
Commercial energy efficiency tax credits covering upgrades like HVAC are being scaled back or eliminated.

Full details on the legislation can be found here.

It’s understandable that these changes raise questions about timing, eligibility, return on investment, and how to align project goals with shifting policy. Below, we break down what commercial business leaders should know and what steps can help make the most of the time-limited opportunities that still exist.

12 Questions Commercial Business Leaders Are Asking About OBBBA

The OBBBA has stirred up a lot of questions—especially for organizations in the middle of planning or rolling out energy upgrades. Some of those questions are centered on timing, while others are about eligibility. Many are simply about what exactly has changed.

Below is a list of the most common questions we’re hearing from commercial building owners and facilities teams.

Do I still have time to plan or commence my project before the tax credits change or are eliminated?
Do my upgrades have to be fully operational by 2027 to qualify?
What does the term “commence construction” mean in the bill? And what counts as “placed in service”?
What happens if I’m midway through planning or permitting? Do I lose out on tax benefits?
Should I consider taking advantage of the EV charging credit before the September 30 deadline if I’m considering electrifying my fleet?
What is the risk to my project or the financial incentives I was counting on?
What documentation do I need to prove eligibility if I start a project before the deadline?
Does the federal bill have any effect on local utility incentives for upgrades like LED lighting, EV infrastructure, or solar?
Will states with strong climate and energy goals start expanding their own incentives to fill gaps?
Should I consider shifting the scope or sequencing of my upgrades to maximize incentives while they’re still available?
How will all of this affect the business case I built a year or two ago? Is my original ROI still valid?
Does this change how I should think about long-term energy planning across multiple properties, facilities, or locations?

Why the OBBBA Is Creating Urgency for Energy Upgrade Projects

If you’ve been considering solar, EV charging, or broader energy upgrades, the OBBA makes one thing clear: The window to act under today’s tax structure is narrowing. There’s still time, but it’s finite.

For commercial business owners or facility leaders who have been weighing the benefits of energy upgrades, now is your time for movement. Even if energy upgrades were on your five- or 10-year horizon, delaying could mean losing access to incentives built to improve ROI and lower upfront costs.

Waiting may cost more than acting—for some projects, you could experience a loss of 30-50% of the upfront costs.

SitelogIQ is your one-stop partner to help you assess, design, and install energy upgrade projects. We have a dedicated team to help you navigate changes and qualify for tax credits before the impending deadlines.

We support all project phases of energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable solutions. One partner, one source of accountability, one comprehensive strategy—across all properties or locations.

With the OBBBA, time is of the essence. Let’s chat about your energy upgrade goals and how you can take advantage of incentives that are still available today.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimates that deferred maintenance in U.S. K-12 public schools totals around $500 billion. This backlog includes essential repairs and updates to school buildings and facilities.

The facility funding gap refers to the difference between financial resources available to public schools for maintaining, repairing, and upgrading their buildings, and the actual amount needed to ensure they’re safe, conducive to learning, and meet community needs. The school facility funding gap highlights the shortfall in funding that many K-12 districts experience, and it is negatively impacting the quality of education provided and overall well-being of students and staff.

The educational standard for school district facility spend is $195 billion per year, however, districts only spend around $110 billion – leaving a $85 billion gap to make critical facility improvements.

Best practice for facility maintenance spending suggests districts should budget between 2% – 4% of the facility’s current replacement value:

2% if the district is keeping up with asset replacement and modernization
4% if the district is behind and has a high level of deferred maintenance

The rise of the nation’s K-12 facility funding gap has been brought on by increased school construction costs, increased building inventory, and a sharp decline in facility expenditures after the Great Recession. Collectively, we have our work cut out for us.

Impact on Student Performance

According to a new report from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Healthy Buildings Program:

A study of 75,000 high school students in New York City found that students were 12.3% more likely to fail an exam on a 90°F day versus a 75°F day.
Poor ventilation in schools was associated with student fatigue, lower attention span, and loss of concentration.
In a study of 500 8–9-year-olds, test scores were 5.5 points lower for each decibel increase in classroom noise.

Students focus better when they’re comfortable, are more likely to attend classes, and may be less likely to become ill. These qualities all come from classrooms that have proper ventilation, are well-lit, and maintain efficient cleaning schedules. Students who aren’t distracted or uncomfortable due to environmental factors are students who can remain attentive and better retain information.

By not addressing deferred maintenance – including outdated and inefficient HVAC, lighting, and other building systems – your students’ health, safety, and performance can suffer. It’s critical for districts to properly plan to tackle deferred maintenance, moving from a reactive to a proactive approach to facility maintenance.

How to Catch Up and Keep Up

From deteriorating buildings, outdated infrastructure, and severely stretched resources – neglecting to establish a capital plan for your organization’s facilities can negatively impact the health and safety of occupants.

Enter master facility planning, also often referred to as a capital plan, as a strategic approach to optimizing asset management. This comprehensive method of facility planning and maintenance helps to uncover critical needs, identify inefficiencies, and prioritize maintenance improvements. School facilities in good condition can help reduce absenteeism, improve test scores, improve teacher retention rates, and increase district retention and attraction of students and families.

A master facility plan should include your school’s vision and facility goals; a recent facility condition assessment with benchmarks; design and development for facility improvements; and a detailed plan for how you will implement and fund those improvements.

Struggling with getting started? See our expert recommendations in Smarter Facility Capital Planning, the top 4 things to include in your master facility plan.

With your master facility plan created and implemented, you can begin to catch up on your deferred maintenance, focusing on the most critical projects. The plan should be updated annually, helping you keep up with your facility maintenance and create a warm, safe, and dry environment for students and staff. By catching up and keeping up with your facility needs and maintenance, school districts can build trust, transparency, and teamwork with their staff, students, board, and community.

Bringing Funding to the Fight

As a space for both education and personal growth, your school’s learning environment may require upgrades. However, with tight budgets, funding for these types of infrastructure projects has often been limited. There are various funding strategies and options to help school districts bring funding to the fight as deferred maintenance is tackled.

Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement (GESA): A GESA is a vehicle to decrease growing utility costs with a progressive contracting process that enables mass upgrades of building components such as lighting, HVAC, and water, among others to be replaced through a budget-neutral process. These upgrades play an important role in significantly reducing energy usage, which results in decreased utility spending to operate the project.
Energy as a Service (EaaS): EaaS payments are based on a measured quantity of energy (kilowatt-hours of electricity) saved. This enables you to treat energy efficiency as a resource to fund facility improvements and eliminate costly maintenance associated with outdated equipment. An EaaS agreement typically covers project costs and ongoing performance risk including full-service maintenance and monitoring.
Utility Rebates and Incentives: At SitelogIQ, our team is continually searching for and monitoring available utility rebates and incentives to help offset energy project costs for our customers. Understanding the nuances of how the incentive programs operate and requirements to ensure our projects qualify for the maximum incentives is part of the value offered by our team.
State and Federal Grants: SitelogIQ prides itself on helping our customers find and manage alternative ways to fund projects. We have experience writing grants and advocating for their award. Our team assists with identifying funding strategies, grant writing, application and documentation verification, and post-award administration to ensure compliance, support progress reporting, and assist with appropriate grant close-out documentation.

SitelogIQ’s team of project financing experts can guide you on all available financing options for your specific project type and work with your team throughout your project’s development to secure the necessary funds to get started.

Through a partnership with SitelogIQ, we will collaborate to identify, prioritize, and address your organization’s specific building needs and form and execute a thorough long-term strategy with our proven capacity to deliver a return on your investment. This strategic guidance can help you upgrade existing facilities to create and maintain resilient and future-ready spaces to meet occupant needs.

mySiteIQ, our technology-enabled platform, can also help you easily organize your facility assets and data, prioritize short- and long-term projects by constructing and comparing scenarios, and optimize your facility’s performance to ensure efficient projects.

Contact us today to develop a plan to tackle deferred maintenance with funding opportunities, creating a safer, healthier, and more sustainable space for your occupants and community.

U.S. school district infrastructure received a D+ by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), rating them in poor condition. The ASCE also reports that half of public schools have not undergone major improvements since their original construction, with the average school age being 49 years. Poor facility conditions in schools result in costly emergency repairs, unexpected closures, loss of learning hours, and community frustration.  

And the condition of our school infrastructure has only declined as there continues to be a gap between funds that are used versus funds needed for facility improvement. The funding gap has increased from 85B in 2021 to a projected 400B+ by 2033. Every school district In the United States is facing fund availability pressures.

As a school board member, your role extends to ensuring effective oversight and governance of how funds are being spent to maintain warm, safe, and dry learning environments for your students. With school board members nationwide managing a staggering $600 billion in funds impacting over 50 million students, the task is enormous but critical for ensuring that our educational facilities serve the current and future needs of our communities.

But being a board member can be overwhelming when you’re being asked to understand the priority and impact of a highly technical facility improvement project. Nor does it give you the technical expertise to explain to your community why that generator repair is more important than the new scoreboard they want for their sports stadium.

So how do you, as a school board member, make sure that you are building trust with your community and that you’re being a good steward of the communities’ tax dollars without this technical expertise? Here are some questions to ask your facility team to guide effective governance conversations with your district administration.  

1. What grade do your facilities receive?

We measure student performance by grade to understand where they excel and where they might need some extra assistance, and the same holds true for school facilities. We need to measure the facilities our students are using and ensure they receive an adequate grade to support student performance and meet ever-evolving needs.

The first step is to understand the state of the facilities the districts own or utilizes – where are these facilities, who are they serving, and what’s the condition of these buildings? Where are the biggest risks of asset failure across the district that could cause a school not to open. Regular facility assessments should be used as a tool to gather data about the current needs of the district.

Like with students, you should understand the high level ‘grade’ of your facilities to Identify where the greatest areas of need are:

What is the current condition of our major assets across the district?
What are the CO2 levels in our academic buildings?
Is there equity in the ‘grade’ or functionality of our facilities across the district?

Being transparent with this data allows your district to create alignment on what the priorities of the district should be to address risks. 

2. Why Is our plan, our plan?

Understanding the physical and functional condition of facilities enables your district to understand what work should be prioritized to maintain and improve them. A K-12 master facility plan should encompass the upgrade and modernization of major assets with a timeline that allows for budget planning and minimal learning disruption. This helps your district avoid unexpected emergency repairs that can strain finances, cause school closures, and create a lack of trust with the community.

By looking at data about the plan, we can start to understand where the funds are going, when they are being allocated, and why are they are being allocated the way they are, answering these questions:

Does this plan account for managing capacity towards enrollment trends?

How does this plan ensure we’re leaving a financially responsible legacy?
Does the plan meet the 4 must haves of strategic master facility  planning?
Does the plan have the level of community visibility and transparency that the board is expecting?

3. Does our plan’s spending align with the priorities of the district and the community we serve?

As a school board member, one of your core responsibilities is to set the priorities and goals of the district. This strategic role is not only about identifying what is most important for the students, staff, and community but also ensuring that every decision aligns with these established priorities.

It’s essential to regularly ask, “does our plan’s spending align with the priorities of the district?” This question serves as a vital checkpoint that keeps the board’s focus aligned with the district’s long-term objectives and educational mission.

Assessing how funds are allocated in relation to district priorities ensures a transparent use of the available funds. It helps maintain accountability across all levels of district management with the community by asking:

How are our facilities tied to our district’s strategic goals?
How are our upcoming projects enabling us to reach these goals?
What are our long- and short-term priorities for facility upgrades and modernizations? And why are these the priorities? (AKA, where is our money going and why is it being allocated that way?)

Asking these questions allows your district to stay proactive rather than reactive, which is key to managing your district’s facilities effectively and helping the district ensure no lost learning hours due to its facilities. It’s about making sure you’re not just spending money, but spending it wisely and fairly, so that you’re setting up the next generation of board members, and ultimately our students, for success.

Arming your administrators with the answers

Having answers to these questions might not come overnight. Depending on your district and how strategic you have been with facility planning, you might be in different stages of being able to answer these questions. By using a software tool such as mySiteIQ, you can use data and easily understood graphics to work together as a team to ask and answer these questions. This allows you to make better data-driven decisions, align on district facility improvements priorities, and ensure your master facility plan and budget addresses those needs.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales continue to grow, with no signs of a slowdown. In 2024, EV sales hit an all-time annual high of 1.3 million vehicles sold, a 7.3% year-over-year growth. 

Increased sales continue to gain momentum thanks to: 

A drop in the average cost of EVs, making them more affordable. 
More manufacturers have released EV models, compared to luxury-only brands in the past. 
The pool of used EVs continues to grow. 
Attractive incentives help offset the cost of EVs and/or charging infrastructure. 

Even as new administration policies have made some question the future of electric, Cox Automotive predicts a strong 2025, with EVs making up a total of 10% of all vehicle sales.  

But while EV sales continue to grow, one major gap still remains: Public charging infrastructure. 

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that a staggering 80% of all EV charging happens at home. But for millions across the U.S. that don’t reside in a single-family home, EV ownership can only become a reality with access to convenient and reliable public charging stations. 

Business owners have an opportunity to help close the infrastructure gap with on-site charging stations, but many face financial hurdles in covering upfront costs.  

The good news: There are solutions to implement on-site EV chargers with zero capital expenditure (CapEx), with some options even offering a new stream of revenue.  

Why Should Business Owners Consider No CapEx Models for EV Infrastructure? 

Investing in EV charging infrastructure is a strategic decision that can attract more customers, visitors, or tenants to your properties, and help you meet regulations or sustainability goals. But it does come with a price tag. 

A no-CapEx approach removes that burden, making it possible to implement charging stations without taking on financial risk. Instead of purchasing and maintaining chargers themselves, businesses can leverage third-party funding models that cover the upfront, ongoing, or in some cases, all costs.  

Here’s why businesses should consider a no-CapEx approach: 

Preserve cash flow: No CapEx models eliminate the need for a large upfront cash purchase, allowing businesses to allocate funds to other priorities. 
Avoid budget hurdles: Many businesses face long approval processes for capital expenditures. A no-CapEx model allows you to bypass these delays and avoid taking on financial liability on a balance sheet.  
Minimize risk: No CapEx models shift the burden of maintenance, upgrades, and technology updates away from your business, ensuring you always have well-maintained, updated chargers without the need for additional investment.  
Fast-track implementation: Without the need for internal budget approvals, your business can move faster to install charging infrastructure, keeping up with market demand and customer expectations. 
Future-proof your business: As consumer preferences continue to shift towards sustainability, having EV charging infrastructure in place now ensures you’re ahead of the curve instead of playing catch-up later. 

What No-CapEx Solutions Exist for EV Charging Infrastructure?  

There are financing models available that allow businesses to deploy EV infrastructure without the need for upfront or ongoing investment.  

1. Charging as a Service (CaaS) 

A CaaS approach allows businesses to install EV charging infrastructure through an ongoing subscription-based model. A third-party provider covers all upfront costs—including hardware, software, installation, and maintenance—while the business pays a fixed monthly or per-use fee.  

CaaS offers predictable ongoing expenses with no upfront investment and removes the risk of ownership. This model gives the business owner decision-making authority, including charger brand, installation location, number of chargers, and more. 

A CaaS model is also an excellent option for business owners that view EV charging as a revenue-generating opportunity. You retain most of the revenue collected each time the charger is used.  

2. Third-Party Ownership 

Under a third-party ownership model, an outside party owns and operates the charging stations at your property. They handle all installation, maintenance, and upgrades, while your business provides the space for the charging stations with no upfront or ongoing costs. This option also eliminates all owner responsibilities, as the burden of upkeep is on the third-party operator.  

With this model, third-party providers may be selective about which locations or properties qualify for installation. The provider is also responsible for most decision making, which could limit your choices for charging equipment brand, placement at your business, technology upgrades, and more.  

Which Types of Businesses Should Explore No-CapEx Strategies? 

While most businesses could benefit from installing EV charging stations, some are a better fit for no-CapEx models. 

CaaS is the best fit for businesses with high customer or employee demand for charging but that lack budget to invest in infrastructure. Third-party ownership is a solid option for businesses with high-traffic locations where EV charging demand is strong. 

*Auto dealerships that would prefer to charge (vs offering as a free amenity) customers or visitors for charging usage could consider CaaS.  

**Keep in mind that locations that are in high-traffic and/or high EV adoption areas are better suited for a third-party ownership model due to owner qualifications.  

Your Partner for Every Step of the EV Charging Process 

SitelogIQ is your one-stop partner for all project phases of EV charging installation. In addition to being your consultant and contractor, we’re also a strategic partner that manages all phases of a project from planning and utility coordination, to installation and incentive management. 

We sit on your side of the table and act as your agent in the marketplace across legal, financing, and hardware / software vendor selection. We’ll handle the financing homework for you with a vetted list of both CaaS and third-party operator partners. With no vendor biases, you get a transparent strategy that is best fit for your needs and goals. 

We’re here to help you navigate the entire EV charging installation process. Let’s chat about your needs today.  

When electrifying their fleet, many operators run cost calculations for EV trucks and vans, only to be left with sticker shock on charging infrastructure. 

But there are plenty of funding options that are available for fleet operators to offset the costs of both electrified vehicles and the corresponding charging infrastructure. One example includes low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) credits. 

LCFS credits help offset upfront infrastructure costs, while promoting clean transportation.  

What Are Low Carbon Fuel Credits? 

Low carbon fuel credits are part of state-run programs designed to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of transportation fuels. These programs encourage the use of cleaner alternatives like biofuels, hydrogen, and electricity by assigning a carbon score to different fuel types. 

LCFS programs require companies that produce high-carbon fuels (think: large oil companies) to offset their emissions by purchasing low-carbon credits. These credits are generated by entities using clean technologies like EVs or renewable fuels. The credits are then bought and sold on a private market, with transactions occurring directly between the credit generators (i.e. EV fleet operators) and the buyers (i.e. oil companies). 

Electricity has one of the lowest CIs, making EV charging infrastructure an advantageous option for generating credits. The revenue collected from the credits can be used at the company’s discretion, but many fleet operators reinvest it into the purchase of more electrified vehicles or to offset the costs of charging infrastructure. 

Which States Have Low Carbon Fuel Credits? 

Three states currently have fully implemented LCFS programs: 

California 

Oregon 

Washington 

Other states, including Minnesota, Michigan, and New York, are exploring similar programs but are not yet operational. 

Within each state, the cost of the LCFS credit will fluctuate, sometimes as frequently as daily. You can view historic and future credit price predictions from our partners at FuSE here.  

How LCFS Credit Programs Offer Fleet Operators a New Revenue Stream  

Fleet operators often face higher upfront costs when electrifying their fleet compared to Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) vehicles. ICE refers to a collection of vehicles that are powered by internal combustion engines, meaning they run on gasoline or diesel fuel. The EVs themselves are typically more expensive to purchase, and the additional need for charging infrastructure adds another layer of expense. 

However, LCFS credits offer a compelling way to justify these investments. By generating credits through charging infrastructure, fleet operators can unlock a recurring revenue stream that helps to offset these initial or ongoing costs —revenue that simply isn’t possible with all-ICE fleets. 

The process is as follows: 

Earn credits for charging the electrified fleet. 

Sell credits to high-carbon generators. 

Reinvest revenue generated from credits in upfront or ongoing infrastructure costs. 

While this process can seem straightforward, keep in mind that  buying and selling the credits on a private market isn’t quite as simple. High-carbon generators are required by the state to purchase credits, and they typically prefer to buy credits in bulk to meet compliance without ongoing management. The buying and selling process is often cumbersome and can result in a major administrative burden. Having a partner that facilitates these transactions helps to simplify the process and ensures you’re unlocking the full revenue potential of credits.  

Offsetting EV Infrastructure Costs with LCFS Credit Program: Real-World Example 

What Other Funding Options Exist to Offset EV Infrastructure Costs? 

In addition to LCFS credits, or if you operate a fleet in a state that does not have a LCFS program, there are other funding options that exist to offset upfront infrastructure costs. Federal tax incentives, state-level rebates and grants, and local utility programs offer reduced installation costs or charging rate subsidiaries. There are also plenty of financing options like leasing or loans, or lesser-known strategies including Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS). 

Check out this clip from our webinar about funding a fleet electrification strategy: 

Interested in listening to the full webinar? Click here to get access to an on-demand recording of the presentation. 

Your One-Stop Partner for the Full Electrification Process 

At SitelogIQ, we help you forecast and monetize LCFS credits with our vetted intermediary partners that support on both the buying and selling side.  

We’re also your one-stop partner for all phases of electrification infrastructure projects, including funding strategy and incentive management. Our team works hands-on with you from design through installation to warranty management and results tracking. We tailor a solution based on your current layout, charging capacity, number of charging ports needed, utility requirements, state and local mandates, accessibility requirements, financial needs, and more—both for right now and for future planning. 

Let us help you navigate the low carbon fuel credits and other funding options. Let’s chat about your fleet electrification needs. 

Funding facility infrastructure and energy efficiency improvements, especially within the healthcare market, takes a tailored and unique approach to meet your goals. There are many options when comparing and contrasting what might work best for your energy project and how to best suit the needs of your organization. This is where SitelogIQ can help – we partner with our customers to drive savings, efficiency, sustainability, and create better healthcare facilities to promote exceptional patient care.

Types of Healthcare Project Funding

1. Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE)

An innovative form of energy financing that exists in many states throughout the U.S. is Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy, or C-PACE. For healthcare facilities, securing C-PACE financing solves the upfront cost barrier by providing 100% financing for your healthcare project. This financing option helps overcome procurement hurdles, enabling large-scale energy savings initiatives, and implementation of turnkey projects to meet high priority facility needs. It also helps you create a long-range facility roadmap to benefit your patients and staff through a process made simple for healthcare administrators.

C-PACE is not credit sensitive, because the lien is against the property and not the organization managing it, the lending community views this as investment grade. This can be a very powerful tool in accessing competitive capital for organizations that in of themselves would not be considered investment grade credit.

2. Loans and Leases

For investment grade (IG) bond/credit rated organizations, a loan or lease-like product may be another financing option to consider. These organizations will typically have a Better Business Bureau rating of BBB- or higher, yielding borrowing or lease terms of 10-20 years depending on the project specifics. These financing vehicles also may be eligible for tax exempt funding depending on the nature of their IRS classification. Organizations such as 501(c)(3)’s may be eligible for this form of tax exempt financing, which can further reduce the interest rate.. There are multiple lenders in this segment ranging from commercial banks, private equity, and/or infrastructure funds. As a result, it is a highly competitive lending environment that can lead to competitive project finance rates.

3. Energy-as-a-Service

A more recent financing option for energy improvements is Energy-as-a-Service or EaaS. EaaS is an option in which a third-party owns and maintains energy infrastructure improvements for a period of time, usually 10-15 years. Under this model, the customers pay the system owner a fee based on the benefit received. For example, think buying the lumens from a light bulb, not buying the fixture itself. This structure also does not require any money down, just a commitment to purchase the utility/benefit from equipment.

4. Traditional Bonds

Lastly, bonds are a common way of financing major infrastructure improvements, and potentially even acquisitions. While most of the debt for healthcare organizations comes in the form of bond obligations, the amount financed is usually significantly more than an energy project would cost on a per-site basis. Should this be of interest, SIQ has the knowledge and network to explore your bond syndication options.

It doesn’t stop there. Creative funding approaches can also support near-term budget constraints with multiple products deferring initial payments for up to 2 years while the operations benefit from the performance of the new equipment. Clients have a multitude of options in how to best benefit from the flexibility in timing that capital providers offer.

Our Process for Identifying Funding Options

To begin, the SitelogIQ team will identify opportunities to save energy, money, and other attributes in maintaining top tier healthcare facilities. Because the condition of the facilities, age(s), technology, equipment, and capital maintenance budgets vary so vastly, it is paramount to consider what funding mechanisms can provide the greatest overall value for your project. Considerations that would drive our recommendations and financial models:

Condition and efficiency of existing facility infrastructure
Goals/targets for sustainability
Plan for funding upcoming projects
Energy use intensity of facility versus benchmarks
Credit rating, ability to access cost effective capital

As your project takes shape, our capital markets team will meet and work closely with your finance or treasury group to make the most of the project’s impact to your operations while always focusing on the bottom line, so your organization can continue advancing the highest quality patient care.

Contact us today to learn what funding solution may work best to help you create a safer, healthier, and more sustainable healthcare facility for your patients and staff.