Anyone needing to juggle a small business budget will understand how quickly the funds for covering rent, utilities, and associated overheads can cause a serious headache – especially when those bills seem to simply grow larger every year. When it comes to energy costs, no matter how frequently you change your service provider the actual differences are minute in the grand scale of things. For this reason – and as we shall see a number of others – plenty of small businesses are looking towards commercial solar power systems to meet their entire or a sizable proportion of energy requirements. Here are the key advantages that a sensibly planned and well installed solar energy system can offer any small business.
1) Solar Power Allows Small Businesses To Take Control Of Their Energy Costs
No matter where you choose to install solar panels – be it for residential, commercial, or agricultural purposes – the ultimate purpose is to reduce your energy requirements and reliance on ever-changing grid prices. A good quality system comprised of modern panels that have been properly installed should pay for itself between 10-12 years or so – perhaps even sooner in some cases. Make use of government incentives and breaks and that set-up cost can be dramatically reduced (ask your installation team for up to date advice).
Once the system has been paid for you can expect at least 15+ years of energy discounts thanks to harvesting your own power. In some cases, solar power can account for your entire energy requirements – saving many thousands of dollars every year. In most, it will reduce your bills by 50-80% depending on the number of panels you install. Whichever way you look at it, solar power is an absolute no-brainer when it comes to sensible long term business planning.
2) Solar Power Systems Add Value
Not many people can predict where they will be in ten or fifteen years time, and one of the most common reasons we hear from people deciding against installing solar power for their businesses is that they may not still own/operate the company further down the line. The good news is that just as with residential solar energy systems – if you can demonstrate that your panels knock a regular dollar amount off your grid energy expenditure, then that is added value for your business.
Most modern solar energy systems are not only far more capable than previous models (a higher yield = faster repayment of invested capital) but also feature plenty of ways of monitoring your energy production and usage. When it comes to business valuations you should be able to include this with just a couple of years proof that your solar panels are efficient and will save any business purchases a good amount of money in the future. In this sense, you should consider solar power panels as being a business enhancement similar to a property extension which adds serious dollar value.
3) Very Easy To Maintain & Monitor
Solar panels require very little maintenance or cleaning. Your installation team ought to provide you with a straightforward evaluation of what you should do to keep your production at maximum – and it is likely to be a pleasant surprise how hands-off solar energy systems tend to be. Most commercial business properties will use roof-mounted panels. Rainfall does a good natural job of cleaning basic dust and dirt, and in most cases, panels only need a quick wash down once or twice a year (often as the season’s change) to remove leaves, twigs, and more stubborn muck.
It is recommended that businesses keep a quick daily log of their energy production. This can be a simple printed spreadsheet that takes literally seconds to fill in every morning. If you start to notice a significant decline in energy production then chances are your panels need a quick clean and checkup. Most of the time these can be done yourself in a very short while, although it is a good idea to keep your panels nice and fresh with an annual professional health check. These will check your panel’s connections and cabling as well as use industry-standard cleaning materials.
In simple dollar terms installing commercial solar panels is an excellent business decision for the vast majority of people. You should remember that people are becoming far more tuned-in when it comes to solar energy and clean power generation, and a set of panels on your business rooftop can considerably enhance your business footfall. Plenty of customers will look to conduct business with those who can boast a LEED (Leadership In Energy & Design) certification and similar local initiatives. So never forget the real boost that opting to go solar can provide for your bottom line too.
