Energy Management Collaborative
Energy Management Collaborative (EMC) provides turnkey LED lighting, smart building controls, HVAC optimization, and EV charging solutions for Fortune 500 retailers and large multi-site enterprises across North America, delivered through its proprietary EnergyMAXX process and nationwide Labor Partner Network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Energy Management Collaborative does
Energy Management Collaborative (EMC) is a private energy efficiency solutions provider founded in 2003 by Jerry Johnson and headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota. The company designs, installs, and maintains LED lighting, smart building controls, HVAC optimization, EV charging infrastructure, UV-C disinfection lighting, and specialty lighting solutions for commercial, industrial, and retail facilities across North America — spanning all 50 US states, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. EMC targets Fortune 500 retailers, national chains, and large multi-site enterprises through direct enterprise sales, with a nationwide Labor Partner Network of NALMCO-certified contractors providing installation delivery at scale.
EMC's core technical platform is the proprietary EnergyMAXX process and EnergyMAXX Tool, a web-based analytics application that uses site-level and product-level data to prioritize portfolios, model annual cost savings, and estimate payback for lighting retrofit projects. The company has powered over 105,000 completed projects and helped customers save more than 27 billion kWh cumulatively. EMC is a master systems integrator of Distech Controls and uses Tridium's Niagara Framework with in-house Niagara-certified engineers to deliver non-proprietary, vendor-neutral building management systems that centralize HVAC and lighting control across hundreds of stores from a single pane of glass.
The company generates revenue primarily through project-based professional services for LED retrofits and building automation deployments, supplemented by recurring service and maintenance contracts, an Efficiency as a Service (EaaS) financing model with off-balance-sheet potential, and EV charging hardware sales. Utility incentive procurement is a central competency: EMC operates as a trade ally for major utilities including ComEd, Duke Energy, Xcel Energy, TVA, AEP Ohio, Southern California Edison, and Ameren Missouri, often delivering 28% of total project value through incentives versus a typical 10-15% industry average. The company scaled from $30M revenue in 2013 to approaching $100M in 2016, transitioned leadership to CEO Howard Heckes in November 2017, and acquired Earth Savers in January 2026 to strengthen its healthcare vertical capabilities.
Energy Management Collaborative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Energy Management Collaborative
- Legal name
- Energy Management Collaborative, LLC
- Website
- https://emcllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Energy Management Collaborative (EMC) provides turnkey LED lighting, smart building controls, HVAC optimization, and EV charging solutions for Fortune 500 retailers and large multi-site enterprises across North America, delivered through its proprietary EnergyMAXX process and nationwide Labor Partner Network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Energy Management Collaborative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Energy Efficiency Services
- NAICS
- Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Street Lighting & Area Lighting EPC / Maintenance (EUAEACAH)
Keywords
Where Energy Management Collaborative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Energy Management Collaborative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- LED Lighting Design, Installation & Retrofit Services: Project-based fees for end-to-end LED lighting conversions including audit, design, procurement, installation, and commissioning. Revenue is driven by the scope and scale of facility portfolios. Major clients include national retail chains completing hundreds to thousands of locations.
- Smart Building Controls & Building Management: Project-based revenue for deployment of building automation systems, advanced lighting controls, and HVAC optimization. Includes custom software development on the Tridium/Niagara framework.
- Service & Maintenance Contracts: Ongoing service contracts providing 24/7 emergency assistance, on-demand service, planned maintenance, and warranty management across customer portfolios. Long-term contractual revenue from large multisite customers.
- Efficiency as a Service (EaaS): Performance-based funding arrangement where EMC structures projects to be cash flow positive from day one, potentially recorded as off-balance sheet financing. Revenue derived from project execution fees and financing margins.
- EV Charging Infrastructure: Design and installation of electric vehicle supply equipment infrastructure for commercial and retail facilities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based custom pricing — no standard tiers. Pricing is portfolio-specific based on facility type, location count, technology scope, and available utility rebates. |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Energy Management Collaborative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Energy Management Collaborative (EMC) delivers turnkey energy efficiency projects for commercial, industrial, and retail enterprises across North America. Core offerings include LED lighting design, installation, and retrofit services, smart building controls and building management systems, HVAC optimization, EV charging infrastructure, UV-C disinfection lighting, and ongoing service and maintenance. The company bundles these solutions with utility incentive procurement and Efficiency as a Service (EaaS) financing, managed end-to-end through its proprietary EnergyMAXX process.
Product overview
Energy Management Collaborative (EMC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of turnkey energy efficiency solutions for commercial, industrial, and retail facilities across North America. The company's core offerings center on LED lighting solutions (including integrated fixtures, retrofit kits, and relamp options), smart building controls and automation, and HVAC optimization. Additional services include EV charging infrastructure, UV-C lighting for disinfection, service and maintenance, incentives procurement, and Efficiency as a Service (EaaS) financing. EMC's proprietary EnergyMAXX process powers over 105,000 completed projects, providing end-to-end program management from audit and design through installation and service. The company recently expanded its capabilities through the acquisition of Earth Savers (January 2026) to strengthen its healthcare vertical expertise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EnergyMAXX: EMC's proprietary project management approach that handles everything from auditing and design to incentives, logistics, installation, and service for energy efficiency projects
- EnergyMAXX Tool
- reLED
Quantifiable outcome
- 27+ billion kWh of cumulative customer energy savings
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Energy Management Collaborative
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Energy Management Collaborative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Energy Management Collaborative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Earth SaverscoreAcquisition completed January 14, 2026. Earth Savers is an LED lighting solutions company with deep expertise in healthcare facilities. The acquisition expands EMC's healthcare capabilities while providing Earth Savers' customers access to EMC's smart building controls, HVAC optimization, and EV charging infrastructure. Earth Savers had delivered thousands of projects over more than 30 years, with deep field experience and a strong track record in the healthcare vertical. Combined teams focus on smooth operational and technological integration across North America.
- Distech ControlscoreEMC is a master systems integrator of Distech Controls building management systems. EMC leverages in-house Niagara-certified engineers to build custom software on the Tridium framework, delivering vendor-neutral, non-proprietary building management systems for enterprise retail clients. This enables centralized HVAC and lighting control from a single pane of glass across hundreds of stores.
- Labor Partner NetworkcoreNationwide network of qualified electrical installation and service contractors selected through a comprehensive six-step vetting process. NALMCO-certified partners provide consistent project execution across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Partners include firms such as Boe Electric and ESI (additional reflectors and lighting components). Enables EMC to scale multi-site deployments for enterprise clients across thousands of locations.
- ComEd (Commonwealth Edison)coreTrusted trade ally since 2011 within the ComEd Smart Ideas program. EMC has completed 185+ projects in ComEd territory, delivering more than 14 million kWh of annual energy savings across 2+ million square feet. Achieved 100% accuracy on incentive submissions. ComEd has recognized EMC's work contributing to its $1 billion customer savings milestone. Programs administered by KEMA.
- Duke EnergycoreLong-standing strategic utility partnership through Duke Energy Smart Saver Incentive Program. EMC recognized for Most Paid Custom Lighting Applications (2015, 2016) and Highest Dollar Amount Paid for One Prescriptive Lighting Application ($350,000+ in 2016). Over $1.5 million in total incentives delivered to EMC customers in Indiana region. Partnership delivers 28% of project value through incentives vs. typical 10-15%.
- Xcel EnergycoreNamed Xcel Energy Top Tier Partner for contributing greatest electricity savings to Minnesota conservation programs in 2016. Recognized by Xcel for LED projects with four Minnesota retail clients yielding nearly 1 million kWh in savings. Xcel Energy was named a top performer in EMC's 2016 utility rankings for providing preapproval timelines 3-4x faster than industry average. Xcel applies cost reductions directly at retailers' registers for LED rebates.
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreTVA Preferred Partner Network (PPN) member since inception. Recognized for Excellence in Performance in Lighting and Excellence in Performance in the Southeast Tennessee District. TVA PPN delivered 98% of TVA's energy savings in 2016 through member partners. Over $1 million in incentives delivered to TVA EnergyRight Solutions customers in 2016. Over 22 million kWh delivered to TVA customers in retail settings.
- AEP OhiocoreRecognized for both Most Savings Achieved and Most Projects Completed in AEP Ohio's Business Incentive Program for 2016 and 2017. Awarded $450,000 in Bid4efficiency Program incentives for T12 fluorescent lighting retrofits in Ohio. Partnership enables large industrial/commercial customers to reduce energy spending by 25%+.
- Southern California Edison (SCE)coreRecognized as one of SCE's highest energy savings customer agents in 2013. Applied for and completed projects resulting in 4.7 million kWh savings and 850 kW removed from the grid. SCE is one of the United States' largest electric utilities serving nearly 14 million people via 4 million customer accounts.
- Ameren MissouricoreAmeren Missouri BizSavers Program recognized EMC as 2016 Top Performing Trade Ally. LED lighting projects completed for two retail clients at 16 Missouri sites resulted in over 10.3 million kWh of energy savings with double-digit project savings from Ameren incentive programs.
- Energy Trust of Oregon (including Portland General Electric and Pacific Power)coreNamed a top utility performer by EMC for 2017. Energy Trust of Oregon is a nonprofit that works with Portland General Electric and Pacific Power to deliver energy efficiency programs to businesses and residents.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Energy Management Collaborative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Acuity Brands: Atlanta-based lighting and building solutions manufacturer with a services arm that delivers LED retrofits and controls for commercial and industrial customers; the closest vertically integrated peer to EMC's lighting-and-controls offering.
- Ameresco: Framingham, MA-based energy services company (ESCO) delivering turnkey energy efficiency, LED lighting, and renewable projects to commercial, industrial, and government customers — a close functional analogue to EMC's multisite turnkey delivery model.
- Willdan Group: Anaheim, CA-based professional services firm providing energy efficiency, lighting retrofit, and demand-side management services to utilities and end customers — overlapping directly with EMC's utility trade-ally and turnkey lighting services business.
- Facility Solutions Group (FSG): National provider of lighting, electrical, and technology services for retail, commercial, and industrial customers with a multi-site delivery model — competes directly with EMC's Labor Partner Network for nationwide LED retrofit rollouts.
- Action Services Group: Specialty national lighting services provider focused on LED retrofits, lighting maintenance, and electrical services for multi-site retail and commercial customers — a focused direct competitor to EMC's core offering.
Broad incumbents
- Signify: Royal Philips' former lighting business (Philips Lighting); global leader in LED fixtures, connected lighting, and lighting services for commercial buildings, directly overlapping with EMC's core LED retrofit and smart-controls portfolio at much larger scale.
- Current Lighting Solutions (formerly GE Current): GE/Alphabet-backed intelligent lighting solutions provider combining LED fixtures with sensors and controls for commercial and industrial customers; competes with EMC on the smart-building controls and connected lighting axis.
- Schneider Electric: Global building automation and energy management major with EcoStruxure platform serving commercial real estate and industrial customers; broad incumbent overlapping with EMC's smart-building controls and energy management offering.
- Honeywell Building Technologies: Honeywell's building automation and controls business serving commercial, healthcare, and industrial customers; a broad incumbent competing with EMC's BMS/HVAC/lighting-controls integration capabilities.
Emerging players
- Trane Technologies: Global HVAC and building services major whose services arm increasingly bundles LED lighting and controls retrofits with HVAC upgrades — adjacent to EMC with growing overlap, particularly in EMC's HVAC optimization and EaaS offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Energy Management Collaborative social profiles
Digital presenceEnergy Management Collaborative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Energy Management Collaborative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Energy Management Collaborative subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Energy Management Collaborative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Energy Management Collaborative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Energy Management Collaborative
What does Energy Management Collaborative do?
Energy Management Collaborative (EMC) delivers turnkey energy efficiency projects for commercial, industrial, and retail enterprises across North America. Core offerings include LED lighting design, installation, and retrofit services, smart building controls and building management systems, HVAC optimization, EV charging infrastructure, UV-C disinfection lighting, and ongoing service and maintenance. The company bundles these solutions with utility incentive procurement and Efficiency as a Service (EaaS) financing, managed end-to-end through its proprietary EnergyMAXX process.
Is Energy Management Collaborative a public or private company?
Energy Management Collaborative is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Energy Management Collaborative founded?
Energy Management Collaborative was founded in 2003. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Energy Management Collaborative based?
Energy Management Collaborative is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Energy Management Collaborative make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. LED Lighting Design, Installation & Retrofit Services are the primary driver. The others are smart Building Controls & Building Management, service & Maintenance Contracts, efficiency as a Service (EaaS) and EV Charging Infrastructure.
Who are Energy Management Collaborative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Acuity Brands, Ameresco, Willdan Group, Facility Solutions Group (FSG) and Action Services Group. Broad incumbents are Signify, Current Lighting Solutions (formerly GE Current), Schneider Electric and Honeywell Building Technologies. Trane Technologies is listed as an emerging player.
Does Energy Management Collaborative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Energy Management Collaborative.
What industry is Energy Management Collaborative in?
Energy Management Collaborative's product category is Commercial Energy Efficiency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAEACAH, Street Lighting & Area Lighting EPC / Maintenance. Its NAICS code is 22112 and its SIC code is 4911.