Energy Answers by Tactical Energy Group
Claim This Podcastby Daniel Burke
Podcast Overview
<p>Energy Answers is the commercial and industrial energy management show by Daniel Burke, presented by Tactical Energy Group. This series covers the complete C&I energy canon — 100 decisions every plant manager, facilities director, and industrial operator needs to understand: demand charges, power factor, utility rate structures, energy procurement, load management, demand response, backup power, renewable options, submetering, and everything in between. If you manage a facility and energy costs or power reliability are on your radar, this is where you get real answers on the first visit. New episode every week.<br /></p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/29/2026
2 verified contact emails on file for Energy Answers by Tactical Energy Group
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
August 5, 2026
Energy Decision # 17 - C&I Energy Tax Credits Explained: Cut Project Costs Before You Break Ground
<p>Federal energy tax credits — the ITC, PTC, and Section 179D deduction — are among the most powerful financial levers available to commercial and industrial operators planning energy projects, yet most operators leave them on the table because they treat them as a tax department problem rather than a capital planning decision.</p><p>This is Energy Decision #17 in the complete C&I energy management series from Tactical Energy Group. 100 decisions. Every one that matters.</p><p>In this episode, Daniel Burke covers:</p><p>- The three federal credit instruments and how they differ: ITC (installation-based), PTC (production-based per kilowatt-hour over 10 years), and 179D (deduction tied to energy cost reduction in commercial buildings)</p><p>- Who can claim the 179D deduction in 2025, including building owners and designers working on tax-exempt entity projects</p><p>- The 179D per-square-foot deduction math for 2025: $0.58 to $1.16 base, $2.90 to $5.81 with prevailing wage and apprenticeship compliance</p><p>- The 25% energy savings threshold and the three qualifying system categories: interior lighting, HVAC and hot water, and building envelope</p><p>- Why the prevailing wage and apprenticeship multiplier is a labor procurement decision that must be made before the project is bid</p><p>- ASHRAE Standard 90.1 baseline alignment and how the reference year affects your energy savings modeling</p><p>- OBBBA construction start and placed-in-service deadlines for solar and wind under Sections 45Y and 48E</p><p>- The 1.5 MW AC capacity threshold that determines which beginning-of-construction test you can use</p><p>- IRS Form 3468, the five-year in-service requirement, and recapture risk for ITC projects</p><p>- How 179D compounds the ROI on LED retrofits and HVAC upgrades already covered in this series</p><p>Who this is for: plant managers, facility directors, CFOs, and operations executives at manufacturers, commercial real estate operators, hospitals, schools, and municipal facilities who are evaluating capital energy projects and want to understand how federal tax credits affect project payback and go/no-go decisions.</p><p>If you're trying to figure out how to use the ITC, PTC, or 179D deduction to improve the financial case for an energy project you're already planning, this episode is built for you.</p><p>Read the full breakdown on Federal Energy Tax Credits (ITC, PTC, 179D) at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://tac-nrg.com/federal-energy-tax-credits-itc-ptc-179d" target="_blank">tac-nrg.com</a></p><p>If you're an Indiana C&I operator actively evaluating this decision, get your free Energy Decision Blueprint at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://blueprint.tac-nrg.com" target="_blank">blueprint.tac-nrg.com</a>.</p><p>Visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://tac-nrg.com" target="_blank">tac-nrg.com</a> for more practical tools and the Energy Decision Blueprint for qualified Indiana C&I operators.</p><p>0:00 – What are the federal energy tax credits (ITC, PTC, 179D)?</p><p>1:30 – ITC vs. PTC: how the two credit structures differ</p><p>3:00 – Who can claim the 179D deduction in 2025</p><p>4:15 – 179D per-square-foot math and the 25% energy savings threshold</p><p>5:30 – The prevailing wage and apprenticeship multiplier: a 5x difference</p><p>6:30 – OBBBA construction start deadlines for solar and wind</p><p>7:30 – Documentation requirements and recapture risk under Section 48</p><p><br /></p>
August 3, 2026
Energy Decision # 16 - C&I Demand Charges Explained: Why Using Less Power Doesn't Lower Your Bill
<p>Demand charges are one of the most significant and least understood components of a commercial and industrial electricity bill — and for many operators, they represent more than half of what they pay every month.</p><p>This is Energy Decision #16 in the complete C&I energy management series from Tactical Energy Group. 100 decisions. Every one that matters.</p><p>In this episode, Daniel Burke covers:</p><p>Why reducing total energy consumption does not automatically lower your electric bill. The three charge types on every utility bill: fixed charges, energy charges, and demand charges. The difference between kilowatt-hours (kWh) and kilowatts (kW) — and why that distinction controls your costs. How the 15-minute interval measurement window determines your billing demand for the entire month. Why demand charges commonly exceed 50% of a C&I electric bill. Max/non-coincident demand, time-of-use demand, flat, tiered, and daily demand charge structures. How demand ratchets work — and how a single summer peak can determine your winter bills. Load shifting and load staggering as near-term demand management tools. Battery energy storage for peak shaving — when the math works and when it doesn't. The direction utilities are heading: residential demand charges, daily demand structures, and heavier TOU weighting.</p><p>Who this is for: plant managers, facility managers, operations executives, and financial leaders at manufacturers, hospitals, schools, municipalities, and large commercial facilities who are trying to understand why their power bill keeps climbing even when they're trying to cut usage.</p><p>If you're asking "why did my electric bill go up when I used less power" — this episode is built to answer that question.</p><p>Read the full breakdown on demand charges at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://tac-nrg.com/demand-charges" target="_blank">tac-nrg.com</a></p><p>If you're an Indiana C&I operator actively evaluating this decision, get your free Energy Decision Blueprint at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://blueprint.tac-nrg.com" target="_blank">blueprint.tac-nrg.com</a>.</p><p>Visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://tac-nrg.com" target="_blank">tac-nrg.com</a> for more practical tools and the Energy Decision Blueprint for qualified Indiana C&I operators.</p><p>0:00 – Why using less electricity doesn't always lower your bill</p><p>1:30 – What demand charges actually are</p><p>2:30 – kWh vs. kW: the distinction that controls your costs</p><p>4:00 – How the 15-minute peak sets your monthly billing demand</p><p>5:00 – Five types of demand charges you may encounter</p><p>6:30 – Demand ratchets: the summer peak that follows you into winter</p><p>8:00 – Load shifting, load staggering, and battery storage</p><p>9:30 – Where demand charges are headed</p><p>11:00 – Recap and questions for your team</p><p>12:30 – Energy Decision Blueprint</p><p><br /></p>
July 28, 2026
Energy Decision # 15 - Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity | Energy Answers by Daniel Burke
<p>Cybersecurity for C&I energy systems and industrial control systems is one of the most underestimated operational risks facing manufacturers, hospitals, data centers, and utilities today — and it is getting more urgent, not less.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Energy Decision #15 in the complete C&I energy management series from Tactical Energy Group. 100 decisions. Every one that matters.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this episode, Daniel Burke covers:</p><p><br /></p><p>Why OT security and IT security are fundamentally different disciplines with an inverted risk hierarchy. The IT/OT convergence problem and how every connected device expands your attack surface. The five structural vulnerabilities of ICS environments every operator needs to understand. HMI exposure data: 13% insecurely connected to the internet, 36% containing at least one publicly exploited vulnerability. Building management systems as an underestimated attack surface in hospitals, data centers, and manufacturing facilities. Advanced persistent threats including Sandworm and Volt Typhoon — and why a quiet network is not necessarily a safe network. The ICS security implementation sequence: asset inventory, exposure management, network segmentation, purpose-built threat detection, and zero trust remote access. Why exposure management is the rational budget allocation model when you cannot patch everything. Frameworks operators should know: the DOE/NIST/NERC Risk Management Process and CRISP. Why annual audits are insufficient and continuous assessment is non-negotiable.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who this is for: plant managers, facility managers, operations executives, and C-suite leaders at manufacturers, hospitals, data centers, utilities, and critical infrastructure operations who are responsible for ICS environments and need to understand how to protect them without taking their operations offline.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you are trying to figure out how to effectively implement and maintain cybersecurity measures that protect your energy systems and ICS from evolving threats while staying within budget and keeping operations running, this episode is built for you.</p><p><br /></p><p>Read the full breakdown on cybersecurity for C&I energy systems and <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://tac-nrg.com" target="_blank">https://tac-nrg.com</a></p><p><br /></p><p>If you are an Indiana C&I operator actively evaluating this decision, get your free Energy Decision Blueprint at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://blueprint.tac-nrg.com" target="_blank">blueprint.tac-nrg.com</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://tac-nrg.com" target="_blank">tac-nrg.com</a> for more practical tools and the Energy Decision Blueprint for qualified Indiana C&I operators.</p><p><br /></p><p>0:00 – What is the difference between IT security and OT security?</p><p>1:30 – Why ICS environments became vulnerable: the collapse of the air gap</p><p>2:30 – The five structural vulnerabilities of industrial control systems</p><p>4:30 – HMI and building management system exposure: the numbers you need to know</p><p>6:00 – Advanced persistent threats: Sandworm, Volt Typhoon, and pre-positioning</p><p>7:00 – The ICS security implementation sequence</p><p>9:00 – Exposure management vs. vulnerability management: how to prioritize on a constrained budget</p><p>11:00 – Frameworks: the DOE/NIST/NERC Risk Management Process and CRISP</p><p>12:30 – Questions for your team and the bottom line</p><p><br /></p>
17 total episodes available
Deep-dive analytics for Energy Answers by Tactical Energy Group
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- What is Energy Answers by Tactical Energy Group?
<p>Energy Answers is the commercial and industrial energy management show by Daniel Burke, presented by Tactical Energy Group. This series covers the complete C&I energy canon — 100 decisions every plant manager, facilities director, and industrial operator needs to understand: demand charges, power factor, utility rate structures, energy procurement, load management, demand response, backup power, renewable options, submetering, and everything in between. If you manage a facility and energy costs or power reliability are on your radar, this is where you get real answers on the first visit. New episode every week.<br /></p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
Legal Disclaimer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.