Thomson West
- Industry
- Online legal information and publishing
- Demand
- 11,000 kW
- Utility
- Dakota Electric Association
- Contract signed
- April, 1998
- Testing Complete
- February, 1999
E-commerce giant reduces electric bill by $1 million annually and guarantees continuous service to thousands of worldwide clients.
At Thomson West's 300-acre headquarters campus, 5,400 employees serve legal firms around the world. Electricity is mission critical. Any outage starts costing the business thousands of dollars every minute.
Thomson has removed the potential customer pain created by utility outages. Their customers now dial in with complete confidence. Seven two-megawatt standby generators backup the entire West Group campus. These generators are also used during "peak" energy demand periods, thereby reducing the demands on the Thomson's electric utility and allowing the $1 million annual savings. The generators will completely pay for themselves in a little more than 5 years.
Energy Alternatives vast experience helped complete this job on time and within budget. By having a clear understanding of the unique issues that e-commerce businesses have, Energy Alternative is able to provide complete solutions that will not disrupt the critical information flow.
"If there's a snowstorm that knocks out power in Minnesota, a customer in Chicago might understand that, but an international customer wouldn't. A lawyer trying to prepare a brief for court that morning won't tolerate being unable to access information. We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the common denominator is power."
Tom Walrath
Director, Facility Services
Thomson West
Clients
- Retail Chains
- E-Commerce Centers
- Food Distribution Centers
- Telecommunication Centers
- Education Facilities
- Zoos
Testimonials
"Energy Alternative has installed a substantial amount of generation on the GRE system. These generators reduce our peak demand which helps keep rates low for all GRE customers."
Rick Lancaster
Vice-president, Corporate Services
Great River Energy