Energy suppliers attempting to offset thinning commodity margins and lukewarm customer response are looking to non-residential energy services to add value for customers, indicates a recent survey from Xenergy.

These suppliers are aggressively selling a broad suite of energy management services that range from traditional performance contracting to energy asset outsourcing; and customer interest in the newest of these services is growing and purchase rates are likely to increase significantly over the next few years.

The survey results, entitled, "Beyond Commodity"-is the latest study in the firm's Retail Energy Markets 2000 series. Based on interviews with 300 energy decision-makers at large businesses across the United States, "Beyond Commodity" benchmarked supplier marketing and customer purchase rates of various services designed to help customers address complex energy operational and facilities issues such as energy asset outsourcing, energy information services, energy performance contracting, and energy facility management outsourcing.

Michael Rufo, XENERGY vice president, said, "As large companies are exposed to volatile wholesale prices, for example, we're projecting energy information services to achieve annual revenues of more than $300 million over the long term. In the same time frame, energy asset outsourcing could grow to $20 billion in annual revenues."