In this exclusive CanadianSME Small Business Magazine interview, Behdad Bahrami, Co-founder and CEO of Edgecom Energy, shares how his vision for data-driven energy management is helping North American industries unlock substantial cost savings and sustainability. An award-winning leader with deep experience in the energy sector, Behdad has steered Edgecom Energy to deliver innovative solutions that empower businesses to optimize consumption, reduce emissions, and future-proof their operations—advancing both commercial performance and environmental responsibility.
Behdad Bahrami is the Co-founder and CEO of Edgecom Energy. With over a decade of experience in the energy sector, Behdad previously served as the Energy Manager for one of North America’s largest plastic manufacturing facilities.
Edgecom Energy has become a leading force in energy intelligence for North American industries. What specific challenges in industrial energy management inspired you to launch Edgecom Energy, and how has your mission evolved since then?
In 2016, I founded Edgecom Energy. Before this journey began, I served as an industrial energy manager for one of Canada’s largest plastic manufacturing facilities. I experienced firsthand the challenges large facilities face to gain real-time visibility into their energy consumption, a process that’s both expensive and time-consuming. I witnessed the monumental impact of energy consumption on sustainability and business competitiveness.
Motivated by these observations, I embarked on a mission to change the energy landscape. I started Edgecom Energy with a vision to empower large energy users to consume energy responsibly. Through the application of data and visibility, we aim to help businesses save money, reduce emissions, and enhance their competitiveness on a global scale.
Your suite of solutions, especially the AI Energy CoPilot, leverages real-time data and artificial intelligence to deliver deep insights. How do these technologies help mid-sized businesses make smarter energy decisions and achieve measurable sustainability goals?
An AI Energy CoPilot that uses real-time data and artificial intelligence can really help mid-sized businesses. Real-time data gives managers immediate visibility into when and where energy is being used, so they can quickly spot inefficiencies, control costs, and avoid surprises on their utility bills.
The AI side builds on that by analyzing patterns, forecasting demand, and suggesting practical steps, like moving energy-intensive tasks to off-peak times or identifying equipment that is wasting energy. It can even model different scenarios to show the financial impact of each decision.
For mid-sized businesses, this is especially valuable because most do not have energy managers on staff. The CoPilot acts like an expert partner, turning complex energy and emissions data into simple, actionable insights. That makes it easier to cut costs, track progress on sustainability goals, and prove results to customers and stakeholders. In short, it helps companies make smarter energy decisions while strengthening both their bottom line and their sustainability performance.
Edgecom Energy serves over 140 facilities and has enabled clients to save hundreds of millions in energy costs. Can you share a transformative customer success story that highlights the impact of your platform?
One of our success stories comes from Bock North America, a leading manufacturer of office furniture components. They struggled with high electricity costs and inefficient peak demand management because they lacked real-time visibility into their energy use.
They implemented our pTrack® and dataTrack™ solutions, which gave them both predictive and real-time insights. pTrack® used advanced AI and machine learning to forecast coincident peaks with over 99% accuracy, helping them proactively manage provincial demand charges. At the same time, dataTrack™ provided a live dashboard for monitoring energy, water, and gas usage at both the facility and equipment level. This allowed managers to immediately identify inefficiencies, adjust operations in real time, and even set customized alarms to keep usage within tolerances.
Within the first year, Bock achieved $90,000 in Global Adjustment savings, lowering their peak demand factor by over 40 percent. Looking forward, they are on track to save between $100,000 and $120,000 annually in energy costs. Beyond the financial benefits, the solution gave their team granular visibility into individual pieces of equipment, empowering them to confidently manage curtailment events and strengthen their overall sustainability performance.
As a BCorp-certified company and winner of the Energy Innovator of the Year award, how do you prioritize both environmental responsibility and commercial performance in your operations and client engagements?
Our product helps customers cut their emissions while improving business performance, making it a win for both the environment and the bottom line. The more customers we serve, the greater the total reduction in CO2 emissions.
For most customers, energy savings matter more than reducing their carbon footprint. We hope that will change as more companies commit to stronger sustainability goals. For those that already prioritize sustainability, our solution provides the data they need to support reporting and transparency.
What final piece of advice would you share with small and medium-sized business leaders looking to future-proof their operations through innovative energy management?
My advice to small and medium-sized business leaders is to think about energy management as more than a cost to control. It should be seen as a strategic lever for resilience and growth. The companies that thrive in the years ahead will be the ones that treat sustainability and efficiency as opportunities rather than obligations.
You do not have to change everything at once. Start with practical steps that deliver savings and give you better insight, such as smart monitoring, data-driven decision making, and small efficiency improvements. These early wins create momentum, reduce risk, and free up resources for further investment.
Transparency is also key. Customers, investors, and employees increasingly expect organizations to show measurable progress on sustainability. Putting systems in place now to track and communicate your energy performance will not only prepare your business for rising costs and new regulations, it will also strengthen your brand and make you more competitive in the market.
