I just read recently about a new partnership that was struck between Trane Commercial and another manufacturing company, Ice Energy. The two are working together to provide installations of energy-saving equipment and services for a recently implemented Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) ‘Shift & Save’ Program.

Ice Energy is an up-and-coming manufacturing company with a bright future according to industry pundits. They are primarily a purveyor of ice storage systems that shift energy demand from expensive on-peak times of the day to off-peak periods, when energy is less expensive and less polluting.

Trane will provide turnkey system design, installation, measurement and verification, controls and post-installation preventative maintenance services for each installed system, along with training for customers and subcontractors. It is good to see companies working together with utilities in order to create more opportunities for this industry.

Contractors also take advantage of partnerships within associations and networks to forward their collective interests and to create more business opportunities. Now is the time to reach out to various industry partners to grow your business. One such partnership, the Chiller Systems Group (CSG), is a network of independent contractors throughout the United States dedicated to knowledge sharing and training to provide building owners the highest level of chiller service. The group works with chiller manufacturers to provide members technical training and information in a timely manner.

They are a great example of how contractors can partner with manufacturers. We need more partnerships like CSG.