EnTouch Controls, a provider of cloud-based energy management systems for restaurant and retail chains, announced it has raised a total of $8.25 million in Series B equity and debt financing.

The financing was led by SJF Ventures and included new investor NRG Energy, Inc. and the company’s initial investor Trailblazer Capital. The round includes an expanded debt facility from Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Sciences Division.

The new funding will be used to expand the company’s energy management service offerings, accelerate development of energy analytics and load curtailment tools and add to its sales and support staff to serve its growing set of national chain restaurant and retail customers.

Energy is one of the largest and most poorly managed operating expenses in small commercial facilities, costing restaurants and retail stores a total of $20 billion per year according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA estimates that lowering energy costs by 10% is equivalent to increasing sales per square foot by $25 for retailers and $17 for restaurants, but most restaurant and retail chains lack the people, process or tools to do this themselves.

Based in Richardson, Texas, EnTouch Controls is composed of a team of energy and telecom industry veterans with a history of leveraging technology to solve real world problems. The innovative EnTouch EMS is a unique energy management offering for small business owners who have been left behind by traditional building automation solutions.