What Synapse Energy Economics does

Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. is a privately held, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based consulting and research firm founded in 1996 that delivers independent economic and technical analysis of the electric power and natural gas sectors. The firm operates a project-based professional services model, charging negotiated consulting fees to public-sector and non-profit clients; according to its own disclosures, 89% of its work over the past two years has been performed for government agencies and non-profits, with named clients including the U.S. EPA, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the Michigan Public Service Commission, the New Jersey Governor's Office of Climate Action, Burlington Electric Department, Cape Light Compact, Sierra Club, NRDC, and E4TheFuture.

Synapse's core technology stack combines licensed industry-standard models (EnCompass for capacity expansion and production cost, SERVM for resource adequacy, plus IMPLAN, REMI, ReEDS, Strategist, PROMOD, and PLEXOS) with a portfolio of proprietary tools developed in-house or under EPA contract, including AVERT, ESIST, EV-REDI, BDC (Building Decarbonization Calculator), CAVT (Coal Asset Valuation Tool), EMBER, TIDE, the Electrification Bill Impact Model, the Interactive Map of U.S. Power Plants (covering 10,000+ facilities), the Environmental Justice Communities map, and Green Dash Northeast. The firm organizes its services around four practices: Litigation Support, Energy System Modeling, Strategy & Analysis, and Stakeholder Engagement & Representation, deployed across all 50 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Customers engage Synapse through multi-year regulatory proceedings, utility commission interventions, and state-level clean energy and decarbonization planning, with recent deliverables covering state-by-state energy affordability (Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York in 2025), a New Jersey Building Decarbonization Strategic Roadmap, an Illinois energy and load forecast through 2050, and Maine multi-year rate plan design.

Name

Synapse Energy Economics

Legal name

Synapse Energy Economics, Inc.

Website

https://synapse-energy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Synapse Energy Economics is a privately held, Cambridge, MA-based consulting firm (founded 1996) providing independent economic and technical analysis on electric power, natural gas, and climate policy for U.S. government agencies, non-profits, and public-interest clients across all 50 states, supported by proprietary modeling tools (AVERT, EV-REDI, BDC, TIDE) and expert witness services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy and Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Energy Systems & Power Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Energy Justice, Equity & Ratepayer Impact Analysis (EUAMANAN), Grid Interconnection, Transmission Policy & Market Rules (EUAMANAC)

Keywords

• Energy consulting services
• Regulatory economic analysis
• Electric power research
• Decarbonization advisory
• Energy policy analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Consulting: Project-based consulting fees for technical support, economic analysis, expert testimony, regulatory proceedings support, and policy research for government agencies, non-profits, and public interest organizations

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Synapse Energy Economics is an independent energy consulting firm that delivers expert witness testimony, regulatory proceedings support, energy system modeling, and policy/strategy analysis for electric power and natural gas issues. Its work spans utility rate cases, clean energy and decarbonization roadmaps, building and industrial electrification, distributed energy resources, electric system planning, and energy justice, primarily for government agencies and non-profit clients.

Product overview

Synapse Energy Economics provides a portfolio of proprietary analytical tools and professional services for energy and climate decision-making. The core offering consists of standalone modeling tools including AVERT (emissions displacement estimation), EV-REDI (electric vehicle impact modeling), the Building Decarbonization Calculator (BDC), Coal Asset Valuation Tool (CAVT), EMBER (building performance standards), TIDE (industrial decarbonization), the Electrification Bill Impact Model, ESIST (energy efficiency program impacts), plus interactive webtools (U.S. Power Plant Map, Environmental Justice Map, Green Dash Northeast) and water affordability tools. These tools are complemented by licensed modeling capabilities including EnCompass (capacity expansion and production cost) and SERVM (resource adequacy), as well as professional services spanning strategy and analysis, energy system modeling, litigation support, and stakeholder engagement across utility regulation, distributed energy resources, electric system planning, and policies including industrial decarbonization, carbon and energy policy, and jobs and macroeconomic analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Litigation Support Services
• Energy System Modeling Services
• Strategy & Analysis Services
• Stakeholder Engagement & Representation Services
• Avoided Emissions & Generation Tool (AVERT)
• Electric Vehicle Regional Emissions & Demand Impacts Tool (EV-REDI)
• Building Decarbonization Calculator (BDC)
• Coal Asset Valuation Tool (CAVT)
• Energy Model for Building Emissions Requirements (EMBER)
• Technoeconomic Industrial Decarbonization Evaluator (TIDE)
• Electrification Bill Impact Model
• Interactive Map of U.S. Power Plants
• Energy Savings and Impacts Scenario Tool (ESIST)
• Green Dash Northeast
• Map: Environmental Justice Communities in the Northeast
• Water Affordability Business Case Tool
• Reliability and Resource Adequacy Modeling
• Capacity Expansion and Production Cost Modeling

Quantifiable outcome

• Consumers could save $840 per year by 2030 with policy reforms
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSynapse built multiple open-access tools for the EPA including AVERT (Avoided Emissions & Generation Tool) and ESIST (Energy Savings and Impacts Scenario Tool) which are publicly available tools for estimating emissions benefits and energy efficiency program impacts.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Energy + Environmental Economics (E3): E3 is a San Francisco-based consulting firm providing economic and policy analysis for the energy sector, including resource planning, decarbonization roadmaps, and expert testimony — the closest direct competitor to Synapse on electric-system modeling and regulatory engagement.
• Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP): RAP is a global, non-profit team of energy policy experts providing independent technical and regulatory advisory to governments and public-interest clients — overlapping Synapse's public-interest mission, regulatory-proceeding support, and ratepayer-focused analysis.
• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): RMI is an independent energy-transition research and consulting organization producing rigorous analysis on decarbonization, electrification, and grid transformation — comparable in mission and analytical depth, though with broader international scope.
• Energy Innovation: Energy Innovation is a non-partisan energy policy research firm producing analysis on clean energy policy, state decarbonization plans, and carbon pricing — directly comparable in policy-analytics focus, though typically lighter on utility ratemaking testimony than Synapse.
• Brattle Group: Brattle is an economics consulting firm with a deep energy practice providing expert testimony, regulatory economics, and resource planning analysis — directly competing with Synapse in utility commission proceedings and energy-economics engagements.
• MJ Bradley & Associates: MJ Bradley is an environmental and energy consulting firm focused on clean energy policy, emissions analysis, and regulatory support for public-interest and utility clients — closely comparable in client mix and analytical offerings.
• London Economics International: London Economics International is a specialist economic consultancy providing analysis on power markets, transmission planning, and resource adequacy — directly comparable to Synapse's wholesale-markets and capacity-expansion modeling services.

Broad incumbents

• ICF International: ICF is a large global consulting firm with a substantial energy and environment practice covering climate planning, emissions analysis, and utility advisory — overlapping Synapse's offerings as part of a much broader portfolio.

Others

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, producing the ReEDS and dGen models — overlapping Synapse's analytical methodology and tools, though federally funded rather than commercially structured.
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: LBNL is a DOE national laboratory with a major electricity markets and policy group producing benefit-cost analysis and grid planning studies — directly comparable in analytical subject matter and a listed Synapse client/research partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/synapse-energy-economics
• Xx.com/synapseenergy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Synapse Energy Economics