Pivotal Energy Solutions

What Pivotal Energy Solutions does

Pivotal Energy Solutions is a privately-held, self-funded software company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Gilbert, Arizona. It builds cloud-hosted SaaS products for the U.S. residential energy efficiency market, serving utilities and energy efficiency program administrators (e.g., NEEA, Energy Trust of Oregon, Home Innovation Research Labs' NGBS Green program), residential energy raters and providers, builders and developers, and engineering firms such as Group14 Engineering. The company's stated mission is to improve transparency, audit defensibility, and operational efficiency in energy code compliance and green building certification workflows.

The company's product portfolio centers on two complementary platforms. AXIS is a cloud-based data and workflow management hub that connects raters, verifiers, certification bodies, QA organizations, utilities, and other downstream stakeholders through centralized data collection, workflow management, messaging, and program-specific customization; over 200,000 homes and buildings have been certified using AXIS, including support for the NGBS Green program that has certified more than 500,000 homes. APEX is a RESNET-accredited energy rating software solution for residential new construction, built on the U.S. Department of Energy's EnergyPlus simulation engine and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's OpenStudio-ERI calculation platform. APEX is offered via a web-based GUI, a REST API for automated enterprise workflows, and through AXIS integration, and it supports ERI-based code compliance, ENERGY STAR, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, NGBS Green certifications, 45L tax credit eligibility, and custom user-defined reference homes. Both platforms are hosted on Amazon Web Services.

Pivotal monetizes through subscription-based SaaS access to APEX and AXIS, pricing for which is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market combines enterprise sales (direct contact, demos, webinars targeted at utilities and program sponsors) with self-serve GUI/API access for individual raters and integration partners. The company is bootstrapped with 1–10 employees and has not raised outside capital; it was co-founded by Steven Klass and Bob Burns.

Name

Pivotal Energy Solutions

Legal name

Pivotal Energy Solutions, LLC

Website

https://axis.pivotalenergy.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pivotal Energy Solutions is a self-funded Arizona-based SaaS company providing the AXIS workflow management platform and the RESNET-accredited APEX energy rating software to utilities, energy efficiency program administrators, builders, and residential energy raters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy efficiency software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Energy Management & Monitoring (Submetering, Dashboards, Analytics) (BPABAGAD)

Keywords

• Residential energy rating
• Energy efficiency software
• Building certification software
• Energy modeling platform
• Green building compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Gilbert

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Platform Subscriptions: Cloud-hosted SaaS platform revenue through software subscriptions for APEX and AXIS platforms. Access provided via GUI, API, or platform integration. Revenue derived from usage across energy raters, builders, program administrators, and utilities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pivotal Energy Solutions develops and sells two cloud-based SaaS platforms for the energy efficiency industry. APEX is a RESNET-accredited energy rating software that uses DOE's EnergyPlus simulation engine and NREL's OpenStudio-ERI calculation platform to generate Energy Rating Index (ERI) values for residential new construction, available via GUI, API, or AXIS integration. AXIS is a cloud-based data and workflow management platform that centralizes data collection, storage, sharing, and compliance workflows for energy efficiency program administrators, raters, builders, utilities, and certification bodies.

Product overview

Pivotal Energy Solutions offers a dual-product platform architecture consisting of AXIS and APEX. AXIS serves as the flagship cloud-based data and workflow management hub used by energy efficiency program administrators, participants, and downstream stakeholders to centralize data collection, storage, sharing, and compliance workflows. APEX is the RESNET accredited residential energy rating software that provides simulation and analysis capabilities using DOE's EnergyPlus engine and NREL's OpenStudio-ERI platform. APEX complements AXIS by providing the simulation engine for energy modeling, while AXIS provides the centralized data repository and workflow management. Both products are hosted on Amazon Web Services and feature modern APIs for interoperability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APEX: A RESNET-accredited cloud-based energy rating software solution for residential new construction that leverages DOE's EnergyPlus simulation engine and NREL's OpenStudio-ERI calculation platform. Features both GUI and API access.
• AXIS

Products and services

• APEX APEX is a RESNET-accredited, cloud-based energy rating software solution for residential new construction that leverages DOE's EnergyPlus simulation engine and NREL's OpenStudio-ERI calculation platform to assess modeled home performance against reference homes and produce an Energy Rating Index (ERI). It supports performance-based energy code compliance, utility incentive programs, ENERGY STAR, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, NGBS Green certifications, and 45L tax credit eligibility, and is available via web-based GUI, REST API, or AXIS platform integration.
• AXIS AXIS is a cloud-based data and workflow management platform that serves as a centralized data collection, storage, and sharing hub for energy efficiency and green building program administration. It connects raters/verifiers, certification organizations, QA organizations, utilities, and downstream stakeholders through integrated workflow management and messaging functionality, supporting program-specific workflows, the RESNET HERS rating ecosystem, and NGBS Green certification processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ homes and buildings certified using AXIS platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, infrastructure and major.

• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)coreTechnology or IntegrationAPEX leverages DOE's EnergyPlus simulation engine as its core calculation platform. The EnergyPlus/OpenStudio-ERI solution is an open-source offering from NREL, providing consistent, accurate results for the residential energy efficiency industry.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)coreTechnology or IntegrationAPEX utilizes NREL's OpenStudio-ERI calculation platform for residential energy modeling. This open-source framework allows industry inspection and validation of calculation methodologies.
• RESNETcoreTechnology or IntegrationAPEX has received RESNET accreditation as an approved rating software (June 2024 for HPXML version, September 2025 for GUI version), enabling the platform to compete with leading tools and support industry-standard certifications.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)infrastructureTechnology or IntegrationBoth APEX and AXIS platforms are hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), ensuring secure, scalable, and reliable performance for cloud-based operations.
• Home Innovation Research Labs (NGBS Green Program)majorTechnology or IntegrationAXIS platform supports the NGBS Green certification process administered by Home Innovation Research Labs, with over 500,000 homes certified through the program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ekotrope: Energy rating and home energy modeling software serving residential builders, raters, and program administrators. Directly comparable to APEX as an accredited rating tool competing for the same rater and utility-program customer base.
• REM/Rate (Architectural Energy Corporation): Long-standing RESNET-accredited residential energy rating software used by HERS raters. Direct competitor in the same product category with the same core customer base (raters, providers, program administrators).
• EnergyGauge USA: RESNET-accredited energy rating and code-compliance software widely deployed among Florida and Southeast raters. Direct competitor targeting the same ERI calculation and energy code compliance use cases.
• FirstRate: Residential energy rating software for HERS raters and builders, providing ERI calculations and code compliance. Direct peer offering similar rating tool functionality to APEX.

Broad incumbents

• Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES): Broader building performance and energy modeling software suite covering residential and commercial new construction and retrofit. Comparable as an incumbent in energy simulation but operates across a much wider portfolio than APEX.
• AutoGrid (Uplight): Utility customer energy engagement and DER orchestration platform serving similar utility and program-sponsor customers with engagement, analytics, and incentive workflows. Comparable because it competes for utility energy-efficiency program data and engagement layer.

Emerging players

• SitelogIQ: Building performance and energy services firm with software-supported program delivery for utilities and program administrators. Comparable because it competes for utility energy-efficiency program workflow business adjacent to AXIS.
• EnergyHub: Energy management and DERMS platform serving utilities with program delivery, device data, and customer engagement. Overlaps with AXIS on utility program data and workflow management, though primarily focused on connected devices rather than rating workflows.
• Carbon Lighthouse: Building decarbonization analytics and project delivery firm serving commercial portfolios. Comparable as an emerging software-driven energy efficiency services player overlapping with the program's analytics and reporting capabilities.

Others

• kW Engineering / Energy Services: Energy efficiency engineering services and program support firm adjacent to the residential rating ecosystem. Comparable as a downstream stakeholder integrating with rating platforms for QA and program delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Pivotal_Energy
• Facebookfacebook.com/PivotalEnergySolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pivotal-energy-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Pivotal Energy Solutions