5 Lakes Energy
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLansing, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
5 Lakes Energy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 5 Lakes Energy
- Legal name
- 5 Lakes Energy LLC
- Website
- https://5lakesenergy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where 5 Lakes Energy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lansing
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
5 Lakes Energy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for utility regulation and ratemaking, policy research and analysis, energy modeling, and project planning. Serves nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies in clean energy and climate solutions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
5 Lakes Energy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
5 Lakes Energy is a clean energy consulting firm that helps nonprofit, business, and government leaders achieve clean-energy solutions and protect consumers. The firm delivers expert witness testimony in utility regulatory proceedings, policy research and strategy, quantitative energy modeling, project planning, and grant support for communities. Its practice is anchored in the Great Lakes region with deep expertise in Michigan's regulatory environment.
Product overview
5 Lakes Energy is a consulting firm offering a portfolio of advisory services and digital tools for clean energy policy and climate solutions. The firm's core service offerings include expert witness testimony in utility regulatory proceedings, policy research and analysis, energy modeling and quantitative analysis, energy project planning, and grant support for communities. These services are complemented by three named digital tools: the Michigan Building Efficiency and Electrification Cost-Benefit Analysis Toolkit (a web-based building energy evaluation tool), the Electric Reliability in Michigan Tool (an ArcGIS-based outage data visualization tool), and the Michigan Spark Gap Online Tool (an interactive spark gap analysis tool). The firm primarily serves nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government agencies in the Great Lakes region seeking to advance climate and clean-energy goals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Expert Witness Testimony Services Expert witness testimony in regulatory cases before utility regulatory commissions, covering utility rate cases, integrated resource plans, energy waste reduction plans, and power supply and gas cost recovery cases for public and public-interest clients.
- Policy Research, Analysis and Strategy Services Advisory services helping clients design state and local energy and climate policies and programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support vulnerable communities and ratepayers, and advance economic progress and equity.
- Energy Modeling, Quantitative and Technical Analysis Services Custom analytical software and quantitative methods to help clients identify the quickest and most cost-effective pathways to decarbonize, electrify, and achieve just energy transitions, including utility planning, CHP, storage, and electrification modeling.
- Energy Project Planning Services Advisory engagement helping clients assess technical, regulatory, financial, legal, and social factors to identify the best clean energy project options, including RFP management, owner representation services, and grant writing assistance for accessing federal dollars.
- Grant Support Services Free assistance to local and Tribal governments and community organizations to submit high-quality, competitive applications for climate and clean-energy grants, including navigation assistance, grant writing support, administrative assistance, modeling and data analysis, and project and strategy development.
- Michigan Building Efficiency and Electrification Cost-Benefit Analysis Toolkit A free web-based toolkit that allows Michigan communities and property owners to enter basic information about buildings and select from an array of potential clean-energy measures (improving insulation, replacing fossil-fuel HVAC, installing solar panels, etc.), then estimates costs and benefits including utility bill changes, GHG emissions, and public health outcomes using industry-standard datasets.
- Electric Reliability in Michigan Tool A free ArcGIS StoryMaps-based tool providing a spatial view of utility outage data from DTE Energy and Consumers Energy between June 2023 and June 2025, including distribution system reliability metrics such as CAIDI, SAIFI, and SAIDI, aimed at helping local Michigan leaders assess outage impacts on their communities.
- Michigan Spark Gap Online Tool An interactive online tool accompanying the spark gap white paper that models how different rates of load growth in various areas can affect Michigan's spark gap, the ratio between electricity prices and gas prices per unit of energy that determines when electrification becomes cost-effective for residential customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Recommended disallowing $92 million in DTEE's requested revenue increase
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use 5 Lakes Energy
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
5 Lakes Energy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
5 Lakes Energy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Michigan Energy Innovation Business CouncilcoreCo-authored The Michigan Clean Energy Framework report with support from Rocky Mountain Institute, modeling future scenarios for Michigan's clean energy policies
- Rocky Mountain InstitutesupportingProvided support and advice for The Michigan Clean Energy Framework report analyzing economic implications of Michigan decarbonization policies
- Great Plains InstitutesupportingSupported Net-Zero Industry in Minnesota report development
- Fresh EnergysupportingPartnered with 5 Lakes Energy on Net-Zero Industry in Minnesota report
- Natural Resources Research InstitutesupportingPartnered on Net-Zero Industry in Minnesota report
- Indiana University Environmental Resilience InstitutecoreCo-prepared Jobs in the Balance report assessing clean steel transition for Northwest Indiana
- Institute for Energy InnovationcoreCo-authored Energy Storage Roadmap for Michigan with Michigan State University
- Michigan State UniversitysupportingPartnered with Professor Annick Anctil on Energy Storage Roadmap for Michigan
- Council of the Great Lakes RegionsupportingPrepared Powering Forward report for the Council analyzing binational Great Lakes Region clean energy transition benefits
- U.S. Department of EnergysupportingFunded hydrogen potential study for Minnesota through DOE grant
- Evergreen CollaborativesupportingPrepared Michigan Clean Energy Framework report for the Evergreen Collaborative
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
5 Lakes Energy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Synapse Energy Economics: Cambridge, MA-based energy economics consultancy providing expert witness testimony, regulatory analysis, and policy research for consumer advocates and environmental NGOs — a near-identical service model to 5 Lakes Energy. Synapse is the firm where Senior Consultant Matt Bandyk previously worked as a Principal Associate.
- Rocky Mountain Institute: Independent energy think tank that co-developed The Michigan Clean Energy Framework report with 5 Lakes Energy. Operates a similar model of clean-energy research, policy analysis, and state-level decarbonization advisory work for utilities, governments, and philanthropies.
- Great Plains Institute: Minneapolis-based non-profit working on energy and industrial decarbonization in the Upper Midwest, partnered with 5 Lakes Energy on the Net-Zero Industry in Minnesota report. Comparable regional policy-research-and-coalition model with overlap on Minnesota energy work.
- Fresh Energy: Minnesota-focused clean energy policy and advocacy organization that co-authored the Net-Zero Industry in Minnesota report with 5 Lakes Energy. Shares the same Great Lakes/Midwest state-policy niche, though Fresh Energy is more advocacy-led while 5 Lakes is consulting-led.
- Energy Innovation: National clean-energy policy research and advisory firm producing state-level decarbonization analyses, similar in scope and methodology to 5 Lakes' Michigan Clean Energy Framework and Jobs in the Balance work.
- VEIC (Vermont Energy Investment Corporation): Non-profit energy efficiency and clean-energy consultancy providing policy, program design, and consulting services to utilities and state agencies — comparable scope to 5 Lakes' buildings/transportation, energy efficiency, and regulatory work.
- Grid Strategies: Specialized consulting firm focused on transmission planning, FERC proceedings, and grid economics — highly comparable to 5 Lakes' MISO Tranche 2.1 transmission economic analysis (April 2026 publication) and power-sector regulatory work.
Broad incumbents
- ICF International: Large publicly traded consulting firm with a deep energy and climate practice covering utility regulation, energy modeling, and policy advisory — competes for the same RFPs as 5 Lakes but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
- Cadmus: Large consulting firm with a dedicated energy practice serving utilities, governments, and NGOs on policy, regulatory, and efficiency programs. Overlaps with 5 Lakes on energy efficiency, building electrification, and utility client work.
Others
- Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (Michigan EIBC): Michigan clean-energy business trade association that co-authored the Michigan Clean Energy Framework with 5 Lakes Energy and Rocky Mountain Institute. Adjacent — not a direct competitor — but closely aligned ecosystem participant in Michigan's clean-energy policy work.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
5 Lakes Energy social profiles
Digital presence5 Lakes Energy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
5 Lakes Energy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
5 Lakes Energy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
5 Lakes Energy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 5 Lakes Energy
What does 5 Lakes Energy do?
5 Lakes Energy is a clean energy consulting firm that helps nonprofit, business, and government leaders achieve clean-energy solutions and protect consumers. The firm delivers expert witness testimony in utility regulatory proceedings, policy research and strategy, quantitative energy modeling, project planning, and grant support for communities. Its practice is anchored in the Great Lakes region with deep expertise in Michigan's regulatory environment.
Is 5 Lakes Energy a public or private company?
5 Lakes Energy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 5 Lakes Energy founded?
5 Lakes Energy was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 5 Lakes Energy based?
5 Lakes Energy is headquartered in Lansing, United States, in the North America region.
How does 5 Lakes Energy make money?
One revenue line is on record: consulting Services.
Who are 5 Lakes Energy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Synapse Energy Economics, Rocky Mountain Institute, Great Plains Institute, Fresh Energy, Energy Innovation, VEIC (Vermont Energy Investment Corporation) and Grid Strategies. Broad incumbents are ICF International and Cadmus. Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (Michigan EIBC) is listed as an others.
Does 5 Lakes Energy have an API?
No public API is recorded for 5 Lakes Energy.