Clients We Serve
Higher Education
Aging plants, tight budgets, growing loads. Onsite generation helps universities modernize campus energy with greater cost certainty and resilience.
What We Solve
Higher education energy challenges are as varied as the campuses themselves. We finance, develop, and operate onsite power systems built to keep up.
Select a challenge to explore the issues facilities like yours face.
Challenge
Aging Central Plants & Deferred Maintenance
Boilers, chillers, and distribution systems that are decades old compete with classrooms, labs, and housing for the same capital.
Solution
Modernization Without Upfront Capital
Under Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS), Unison finances, builds, owns, and operates an onsite combined heat and power (CHP), also called cogeneration, system that can complement or modernize your central plant. No upfront capital and no new burden on your facilities team.
Challenge
Research, Housing & Campus Continuity
Labs, research freezers, residence halls, and campus clinics depend on power that stays on. An outage can mean lost research and displaced students.
Solution
Resilient Power with Island Mode
A campus microgrid runs in parallel with the grid and can be designed to island during an outage, keeping priority buildings running.
Challenge
Budget Pressure & Climate Goals
Utility costs are hard to forecast and budgets are not flexible, while emissions commitments get harder to meet as campus load grows.
Solution
Cost Certainty and Higher Efficiency
Onsite generation can lower total energy costs and provide more predictable long-term pricing. CHP uses the same fuel for power and useful heat, which improves efficiency and can reduce emissions.
The On-Site Advantage
Performance, backed by ownership
We don’t walk away after commissioning. We finance, own, and operate the systems we build, aligning our performance with yours. Our 24/7 monitoring and in-house technicians protect performance minute by minute, year after year.
Cogeneration Efficiency
More than twice a typical power plant
System Uptime
Industry-leading performance
Cost Savings
Often beginning from year one
Our Solutions
Demand more from your power
Step 1: Initial Analysis
Understanding Your Energy Profile
We evaluate your current utility costs, load profile, and thermal needs to identify where on-site generation can deliver the greatest value.
Step 2: Ground-Level Review
Assessing the Site
Our team conducts a detailed on-site assessment to evaluate infrastructure, space constraints, and integration requirements to provide you with a comprehensive Pro Forma.
Step 3: ESA Contract
Locking in Your Project
We finalize design engineering, pricing, and contract structure to align with your operational and financial goals.
Step 4: Construction
Engineering Your System
We manage all design engineering, equipment procurement, permitting, and construction from start to finish.
Step 5: Commissioning
Testing and Optimization
Before going live, we commission and test the system to confirm performance and reliability.
Step 6: Monitoring and Maintenance
Maintaining Long-Term Performance
We conduct preventive maintenance and ensure industry-leading uptime year after year.
Put Your Budget Toward the Mission
Aging infrastructure and unpredictable utility costs compete with your academic priorities. Let’s evaluate how onsite power generation can modernize your campus energy and improve cost certainty for years to come.
FAQS
Have questions about higher education?
In many cases, yes. A CHP system can supply power and recovered heat alongside existing boilers and chillers, which then serve as backup or peaking capacity. The right design depends on your plant and distribution system.
Unison finances, designs, builds, owns, operates, and maintains the system. You buy the electricity and thermal energy it produces under a long-term ESA, without upfront capital or day-to-day operating responsibility. Customer-owned, lease, and long-term O&M structures are also available.
Latest Resources
Insights shaped by over a decade of experience
From in-depth guides to real-world case studies, our resources give you the technical depth and context needed to make informed energy decisions.
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