Power moves: How innovative facilities turn their utility into a strategic growth partner.
Stop thinking of your local power company as just another bill to pay. Start thinking of them as one of your competitive advantages.
Rethink what your utility can do for you.
In today’s high-stakes operational environment, energy is more than a line item — it’s a strategic lever. But most facilities treat their local power company (LPC) as a background vendor.
What if, instead, you treated them like a growth partner?
Stop overlooking your most powerful business ally. From infrastructure planning to incentive stacking, your LPC can help you cut costs, boost performance and future-proof your operations. And yes — sustainability often comes baked in.
Step 1: Bring them in early, before growth becomes a challenge.
If you’re scaling, shifting or modernizing operations, your energy needs are changing — fast.
The smartest move? Loop in your LPC before you break ground or expand your process lines.
LPCs like Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) have helped major industrials like General Mills avoid costly redesigns and power bottlenecks by modeling future load growth, flagging infrastructure gaps and helping shape more innovative expansion plans from the start.
Robert White, VP of Community Relations & Member Services for MTE, explains, “We helped General Mills integrate a 1.6 MW anaerobic digester. We were at the table from the beginning, and that helped them avoid obstacles later.”
Source: deloitte.com; energy.gov
Step 2: Tap into incentives you didn’t know you had.
Efficiency upgrades can deliver fast ROI, and in the Tennessee Valley Region, LPCs in partnership with TVA EnergyRight are willing to help you pay for them. The trouble is, too many businesses leave those dollars on the table.
From lighting and HVAC to refrigeration and advanced building controls, your LPC may offer:
- Rebates that reduce capital expenditures.
- Demand response payments to reduce peak load costs.
- Shared-risk pilot programs for new technologies.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, for example, received a $243,000 TVA EnergyRight incentive through Nashville Electric Service (NES), which is now delivering $200,000+ in annual savings.
Source: EnergyRight.com
Step 3: Use utility data to benchmark, optimize and scale.
Your LPC has visibility across sectors, regions, and use profiles. That means they know what “good” looks like — and where your facility may be falling short.
“We can bring benchmarking data to the table. That’s the power of working with an LPC that knows the territory,” says Brent Baker, EVP and Chief Operations and Innovation Officer, NES.
By sharing load data and operational goals, you can uncover:
- Inefficiencies you didn’t know existed.
- Time-of-use strategies to reduce spend.
- Long-term energy models that align with your growth targets.
Source: energy.gov
Step 4: Reduce the risk for big ideas with a technical ally.
Innovation always carries risk — but your LPC can help you sell it to your team and manage it.
Whether you’re exploring on-site generation, EV fleet planning or battery storage, utilities can support you with:
- Interconnection guidance.
- Reliability modeling.
- Regulatory navigation and incentive layering.
General Mills has achieved net-zero Scope 2 emissions globally. With help from MTE, they integrated a 1.6 MW generator powered by yogurt waste — an anaerobic digester that cut emissions and costs while increasing energy independence.
General Mills achieved net-zero Scope 2 emissions globally.
Source: energy.gov
Step 5: Make energy efficiency your competitive advantage.
Sustainability might sound like a buzzword — but in practice, it’s often the byproduct of smart, forward-thinking business decisions. And energy efficiency? It’s not just about cutting costs. It’s about building resilience, boosting productivity, and unlocking long-term value.
When you partner with your LPC to optimize systems or reduce reliance on fossil fuels, you’re not just reducing overhead, you’re:
- Strengthening your operational reliability.
- Improving safety and performance metrics.
- Reinforcing your long-term competitiveness.
Whether you run a manufacturing plant or a university campus, every efficiency upgrade is an investment in your facility’s ability to scale, adapt and thrive. MW CHP unit fueled by methane from yogurt waste at their Murfreesboro plant.
According to the EEM 2024 Energy Efficiency Investment Survey, 24% of annual operating costs for businesses go to energy.
Source: EnergyRight.com; energyefficiencymovement.com
Final thought: Loop them in early. Lean on them often.
Before you call your engineer, contractor or architect, call your local power company.
They’re already invested in your success. And when you treat them like a strategic partner, not just a service provider, the benefits ripple across your operations — from budget to resilience to bottom line.
