Are Solar Panels a Good Green Investment for Your Business?

Would your business benefit from adding solar panels and solar energy production to your current energy profile? Installing solar panels for your business energy needs could help you increase your bottom line by reducing your monthly energy costs. Solar energy systems also offer other advantages for the business owner, but are they worth the expense? In many cases, the answer is an unequivocal yes. If your business building meets certain requirements, an investment in a solar energy system may be one of the best investments you can make.

Investing in Solar Panels for Business

If you own business or commercial property, your investment in solar energy could pay off quite handsomely in very real terms. If you choose a solar system with an output of over 50kWp, your energy provider may pay you 19.2p for each unit of electricity your solar panels produce. In addition, you’ll get an additional 3.1p for each unity of energy that your solar panels feed back into the grid. The Feed-in Tariff is guaranteed for 25 years, and is written to rise with the cost of living. The estimated return on investment for your solar panels is about 14% -- a pretty generous ROI for an investment that also benefits you in other ways.

In addition to the actual return, your solar panels will reduce the cost of electricity and lower your reliance on fossil fuels to operate your machinery, lights and office equipment. A solar system produces free electricity which replaces the power you currently purchase from the electric company. Those energy prices are also guaranteed to rise in the future as fossil fuels become more expensive to source and deliver.

Solar panels also provide other, less tangible benefits. Every unit of electricity that you produce reduces your carbon footprint and helps you reach your company’s renewable energy goals. If you rent commercial or industrial space, a solar energy system is a major selling point among businesses which are growing more socially conscious year upon year.

Even if you don’t let your space out to other businesses, your business image will benefit from your support and embrace of solar energy and technology. Today’s consumer is increasingly conscious of energy concerns, and is far more likely to choose to do business with a company that has committed to reducing its own carbon footprint. And by reducing your carbon footprint, you’re helping your customers reduce theirs as well – another selling point for your services or products.

Finally, a solar energy system will increase the value of your property when it’s time to sell or count up your assets.

To find out if your business or commercial property is a good fit for solar panels, contact a local solar company to come out and do an evaluation. Once you have a firm solar quote, you can evaluate the pros and cons of installing solar panels on your building and make a decision based on the facts.

Things to Know About Solar Panels

Solar panels offer a way for homeowners to generate their own electricity, cutting their electric bills and often, returning excess electricity to the grid for others to use. In addition to the personal benefits homeowners receive from installing solar panels on their homes, there are wider benefits. If you’re considering a solar PV system for your home, these are some things you should know about solar energy.

The Benefits of Solar Panels

Save money on your utility bills. Sunlight is free, and so is the energy produced from it. Once your solar panels are installed, you’ll see a significant reduction in your monthly electricity bills because the solar PV system is producing all or part of the energy that your home uses. In fact, a typical home solar system produces 50% of the electricity used by a household in a year. It generally takes only a few years to recover the initial costs of installing solar panels.

Reduce your carbon footprint. Installing solar panels is a good way to reduce your impact on the environment. Solar is a green, renewable energy that releases on carbon dioxide or any other pollutants. You’ll save over 1 tonne of CO2 per year with a typical home solar PV setup.

Store excess energy or feed it back to pay it forward. Depending on the type of solar panel installation you choose, you can store any excess energy you produce in a battery for use when your solar panels are producing less electricity, or you can feed your excess electricity back into the grid so that someone else can use it. The electric company will even pay you for your excess so you can make a little cash on the side.

Are Solar Panels Right for Your Home?

Some buildings or properties are a better fit for solar panels than others. The most important factor is how much sun can reach your solar panels. Generally, if you have a roof that faces within 90 degrees of south and is not shadowed by trees or other structures, your building has an optimal location for placing solar panels. Even if you don’t have exactly those conditions, though, you may still benefit from a solar energy system.

Other factors may affect your decision to install solar panels for your home. Those factors include the strength of your roof and the planning permissions you may have to get. Your best source of information about solar panels is a professional solar panel installer. Contact a solar company to evaluate your property and give you a solar quote.