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Shared-Savings Contracts

Customer and ESCO split savings (e.g., 50-50); alignment of interest.

10 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026


The shared-savings contract is a major variant of the energy performance contract, in which client and ESCO split the savings rather than the client guaranteeing a fixed payment. It allocates risk and reward differently, with its own advantages and trade-offs.

In this lesson

  • 01How shared savings works
  • 02Shared savings versus guaranteed savings
  • 03Advantages of shared savings
  • 04Disadvantages and cautions
  • 05The role of measurement
  • 06Choosing the model
  • 07Part of the toolkit
  • 08Sources and further reading