More businesses are looking to adopt solar power systems, especially as panels and batteries become affordable and adaptable to different business needs. If you’re still on the fence, you might wonder how your business can benefit from solar energy.
Let’s answer that question now by breaking down 7 major advantages you could see once you install a solar power system at your business.
7 Advantages to Installing Solar at Your Business
Save Money on Utilities
For starters, solar energy will allow you to save major money on utilities, particularly during the summer months. Odds are your electrical bill is pretty high during summer and winter, whether you are a small business owner or the executive for a larger enterprise.
Solar panels give you immediate electricity you can use the to power appliances, lights, heating and cooling systems, and more during the day. Even at night or in the winter months, solar batteries allow your energy system to store excess electricity and use it when you need it most.
Even if solar power doesn’t completely replace other forms of electricity, it can still make a major dent in your electrical bill each month.
Make Money with Solar
What if you have excess electricity in the summertime when the sun is shining and there’s so much power that your batteries can’t hold it all? In that case, you might actually get paid for having solar panels installed at your business!
That’s right. Some electrical companies will pay you for your excess electricity. Sometimes these are direct payments; other companies may give you credits toward your electrical bill, allowing you to save even more money in the long run.
In this way, solar energy doesn’t just let you save money. It’s the only form of electricity that may actually net you a slight profit, too.
Tax Benefits
Your business may also benefit from solar energy financially thanks to certain tax benefits. In an effort to incentivize green energy technology adoption, the government now allows you to deduct certain electricity expenses if your business uses at least one solar energy system.
Most of these tax benefits come in the form of tax credits. For example, the solar investment tax credit or ITC is claimable on any federal corporate income taxes for 26% of the total cost for a solar photovoltaic system. All you have to do is install the system during the current tax year. This is a massive potential benefit for any business that installs solar sooner rather than later.
Disaster Protection and Energy Independence
No matter how prepared you might think you are, the right disaster can bring the electricity grid grinding to a halt. Snowfall, storms, earthquakes, and other catastrophes can quickly separate your business from a steady flow of energy, meaning your work will also have to stop.
That’s not necessarily the case with solar energy. With the right solar energy system and solar batteries installed, you’ll have limited but effective energy independence and disaster protection. You can keep the lights on and keep your business powered through a disaster if you have solar panels to harness the plentiful energy from the sun.
This benefit is especially important if your business is in a disaster-prone area, such as in certain areas of California (which are vulnerable to earthquakes), hurricane-prone areas like the American Southeast, or the north, where snowstorms can wreak havoc even on insulated and protected energy grids.
Improved Reputation
These days, improving your brand’s reputation is more important than ever, especially with the increased public focus on green energy and responsible business practices. In this way, your business might benefit from solar energy thanks to the reputational boost it might receive.
Once your customers learn that you are “going green” they might be more willing to buy your products or services as opposed to your competitors’. Going green is something you can weave into your marketing campaigns as well; what business doesn’t want to announce that they are doing their part for the planet and saving money through solar power?
This improved reputation may even lead to long-term gains, such as membership in green business organizations or associations.
Eco-Friendliness
Naturally, solar energy also allows you to practice eco-friendliness in a concrete, practical way. We can’t all become environmentalists, but we can reduce the amount of fossil fuels we consume by using solar energy rather than coal or natural gas energy.
The planet is undoubtedly warming up, and many projections indicate that global warming will only get worse until we collectively make major changes. Your business can contribute to eco-friendly measures and reduce the harm done to Earth by leveraging solar energy right away.
Long-Term Investment Returns
Perhaps most important, your business may benefit from solar energy as a long-term investment, rather than a short-term purchase. When you purchase and install an effective solar energy system, you can expect it to last you for many years to come.
Those savings we mentioned above? You’ll get to enjoy those savings each fiscal year with only minor maintenance or repairs required in most cases. Even more importantly, solar energy technology is improving all the time. In the next few years, solar panels will become more efficient, more affordable, and will increase the electricity bill savings you’ll see right off the bat.
Seen in this light, installing a solar energy system for your business is a wise investment overall, even if it’s a short-term expense (that you may even be able to write off on your tax return!). All in all, any business can benefit from using solar energy regardless of their location, industry, or unique needs.
Sun power is everywhere, so use it with the right solar energy system. Sunlight Solar offers rooftop, ground mount, and even bike canopy installation services. In this way, we can set up solar panels wherever is best for your business.
Best of all, we make it easy to get started using solar energy. We’ll offer a virtual estimate of your bill, a site assessment, and work with you throughout each step of the installation process. Contact us today and let us show you the savings and efficiency of sun power! We provide commercial solar installation services in Bend and Portland, Oregon, Colorado Springs, Colorado, New Haven, Connecticut, and Marlborough, Massachusetts.