Partners Group Invests $500m in Energy-as-a-Service Company Budderfly

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Budderfly’s solutions include automated controls, proprietary software, metering, and a patented utility billing interface and billing system that currently supports over 400 utility companies in North America. Budderfly enters into long-term contracts with customers and earns revenues through a share of the energy cost savings generated by efficiency upgrades and the management and monitoring of energy use and demand. With more than 2,750 customer sites across 49 states, Budderfly is a leading EaaS provider for customers operating multiple sites with repeatable footprints, such as restaurant chains, assisted living facilities, and retail franchises.

Budderfly has seen its revenues more than double each year for the last handful of years and Partners Group aims to accelerate the Company’s future growth through a number of key transformational value creation initiatives, including expanding sales capacity and execution on new site installations, broadening customer offerings, investing in software, analytics and network technologies, and making strategic acquisitions that deliver additional synergies.

Todd Bright, Partner, Head Private Infrastructure Americas, Partners Group, says: “We have tracked the energy efficiency sector as part of our thematic focus on decarbonization and sustainability. Companies now face unprecedented scrutiny and pressure from investors, policymakers, and other stakeholders to take tangible action to deliver on climate goals, so the synergy between Budderfly’s market-leading position and unique business model combined with Partners Group’s focus on platform-building in thematic infrastructure comes at an opportune time. We look forward to working with Al and his team on scaling the business further.”

Al Subbloie, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Budderfly, comments: “At Budderfly, we are committed to helping customers meet their sustainability goals and reduce costs. EaaS is a simple solution, with the added benefits of utility bill savings and no capital outlay. On the back of continued strong growth, both in terms of new site installations and acquiring new customers, we are looking ahead to our exciting next chapter of expansion. We believe Partners Group’s experience scaling infrastructure platforms, as well as its operational expertise and deep financial resources, make the firm an ideal partner as we expand our footprint.”

Patrick Langan, Member of Management, Private Infrastructure Americas, Partners Group, adds: “Budderfly is disrupting the energy efficiency market by providing a holistic solution to underserved commercial and industrial customers, and offering additional services, such as component-level data monitoring, that are becoming increasingly important for sustainability reporting. Budderfly’s business model has strong infrastructure characteristics, with a sizeable and growing customer base served under long-term contracts that provide recurring revenues. A key part of our value creation plan will be expanding these service offerings and broadening Budderfly’s customer base.”

Latham & Watkins, LLP served as counsel to Partners Group. Guggenheim Securities, LLC served as lead financial advisor, Shasta Partners LLC served as a financial advisor, and Dentons US, LLP served as counsel to Budderfly in connection with the transaction.

Source: Partners Group

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