How Budderfly & Schneider Are Revamping Civic Energy Systems According to the US Department of Energy, power cuts and blackouts cost the US economy an eye-watering US$150bn every single year, with the average customer experiencing around five and a half hours without power over the course of a year. Michigan is among the worst states when it comes to outages. From 2002 to 2022, Michigan experienced more power cuts than all but three US states, registering 620 major events over that time according to Payless Power. That data makes for fairly grim reading, especially considering Michigan is at less risk than many US states when it comes to natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes. To counteract these problems going forward, local governments are increasingly turning to Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) providers from the private sector to completely overhaul their energy systems. Cadillac, a small city about 50 miles east of Lake Michigan, is one such example. The city, which is home to just over 10,000 people, has just partnered up with Budderfly and Schneider Electric to revamp the power infrastructure as seven of its most important municipal sites including City Hall and a wastewater treatment facility. The best thing for the residents? Budderfly is funding the US$4.4m project itself, meaning it won't cost the local taxpayers anything up front to bolster their grid. The energy financing model Under Budderfly's EaaS structure, the city repays the investment through the energy savings the new systems generate, rather than through direct capital spending. This approach allows Cadillac to budget with more certainty while keeping energy-dependent services such as water treatment and emergency response running through disruptions. "This project is about taking a smarter, more resilient approach to serving our community," says Marcus Peccia, City Manager, City of Cadillac. "We're able to modernise critical infrastructure,