Bbp

Barghest Building Performance (bbp) is a Singapore-headquartered energy efficiency service company that improves the operation of central chiller plants, HVAC and refrigeration systems in commercial and industrial buildings. Its proprietary, patented technology applies real-time algorithms to control central cooling and circulation across the whole chiller plant, delivering energy savings without requiring replacement of installed equipment. The company states savings of up to 50% for air conditioning and cooling systems on its own site, while affiliated descriptions cite reductions of up to 35-40% of HVAC energy consumption.

The product set is organised into three offerings: Optimise, the patented control and software layer for cooling systems; Protect, performance-based maintenance for cooling facilities intended to lower total cost of ownership and defer capital expenditure on equipment replacement; and Analyse+, data analytics for predictive maintenance, fault detection and diagnostics, false-alarm reduction and equipment life-cycle extension. Deployment follows a three-step process: a complimentary energy audit of the client's cooling facilities, installation of the technology with no disruption to operations (clients retain control and can bypass the system to revert to manual mode), and continuous optimisation supported by cloud-based remote monitoring. The company states that optimisation is performed on-premise and that it is ISO 27001 certified.

bbp was formed to address the difficulty of scaling energy retrofits across existing buildings, combining technology with financing arrangements so customers can proceed at minimum or zero upfront capital cost. Its patents are held in multiple countries, and it describes its optimisation platform as AI-powered.

Founding story

bbp was founded in 2012 to change the business model of energy efficiency services. The company originated from Barghest Partners, a Singapore-based management company founded in 2010 by Stanford Graduate School of Business classmates Poyan Rajamand and En-Ping Ong; Barghest Partners describes starting Barghest Building Performance as an energy efficiency service company alongside its real-estate related private equity and asset turnaround activities.

Business model

bbp sells energy savings rather than equipment: it deploys its optimisation technology on a client's existing cooling plant at minimum or zero upfront investment, and savings achieved are shared between the client and bbp. The company states it does not charge a fee if no savings are delivered, and that actual savings are verified annually by independent third parties. Complementary recurring services include performance-based maintenance and data analytics subscriptions.

Shared-savings arrangements in which bbp is paid out of verified energy savings, supplemented by performance-based maintenance and analytics offerings; the company combines technology with financing solutions so customers face minimal or zero capital expenditure.

Traction

Client deployments include HP Singapore's Alexandra and Tuas 24/7 production facilities, Lumileds' 14-year-old centralised chiller plant, and the district cooling plant at Resorts World Sentosa, where bbp's algorithm produced further savings after an earlier equipment-based optimisation round. The company reports aggregate metrics for CO2e avoided, kWh saved and USD savings achieved, and states its technology is deployed at mission-critical assets across Asia by semiconductor manufacturers, commercial real estate firms and Fortune 500 companies.

Latest developments

Leadership comprises CEO Hoe Boon Chye and CFO Budi Pramantika, with a board including Preyavart Gadhavi, Asanka Rodrigo, Ivan Yung Keen Ming and Brandon Courban, and Richard Hu, PhD, as advisor. The company continues to market its three-part Optimise, Protect and Analyse+ portfolio for decarbonisation programmes.