Commercial Solar Power FAQs

In short, yes. Solar is a long term investment and businesses can save quite a lot in the long run. Some of our clients who’ve had solar installs for 10 years are now on a 190% return and growing.

While individual consumption varies, we can pretty much tell from looking at your power bill what your rate of return is going to be. From this we can look at return on investment and other key deciding factors for commercial businesses.

Some businesses achieve return on investment (ROI) in three years. Larger businesses on an industrial tariff might be looking at a five year ROI. Again, it depends on your circumstances, along with current and future projected power use. We will be able to discuss these variables with you during our site visit.

Initially, your inbound phone call or contact is followed up by a Solahart representative, who will arrange a (free) site visit.

We will come to your business to determine feasibility, and get as much information as we can. Here we can answer any questions you have regarding solar and whether it is a suitable option for you.

We will then go away and tailor a quote, sizing the system for day usage.

On our second visit, we present the system we’ve designed with your roof and power needs in mind.

We will be able to tell upon our first site inspection whether your roof is suitable for PV. In addition, we conduct a full roof assessment prior to install to double check.

Our installers take photos the roof before commencing. If we identify any problems, such as a leak or potential leak, we will discuss your options with you. 

Usually we can tell from the street, otherwise our Solahart representative will get into the roof cavity to assess the solar panelling suitability. We’re checking for the roof type, footprint size, tiling, and any damage, rust or leaks.

Not every business is a good prospect for solar. Rest assured, we will do our best to help you make an informed decision.

Some criteria includes:
– The time of day your business operates (i.e. during sunlight hours)
– The structural integrity, footprint sizing, any existing damage to the roof.
– The amount of sunlight your roof receives during sunlight hours

Seasons are the main factor in PV energy output. It might sound obvious, but summer is the best season to utilise solar power.

This means that, particularly for flat roofs, you may see a pretty big drop in energy output during the winter months. This is because the panels are lying flat and the sun is lower on the horizon.

Other factors in energy output include:
– Selecting the best PV aspect for your roof
– Keeping PV panels clean. Frequency will depend on your location but annual cleaning is generally enough.
– Monitoring cables for rodent activity. This can be checked during maintenance cleaning.

Aside from low sun exposure, a reduction in energy output is mostly due to soiled panels.

Soiling can include bird droppings, settled dust, even bushfire smoke.

If a large development is nearby, you might find dust settles on your panels, affecting sunlight absorption. This is managed through regular (annual) maintenance cleaning.

You could be. We have assisted multiple businesses with this. With a push towards Net Zero and the greening of many cities, there are lots of Government grants out there your business could be eligible for.

We’re experienced in helping with navigating these processes, just ask.

Hidden costs may be that return on investment could take longer than you expect. Summer and winter months are also very different in terms of energy output, so that needs to be factored in. In saying this, we pride ourselves in keeping our customers informed with reasonable expectations on their investment from the outset.

As for unexpected expenses, it will depend largely on the condition of your roof and electrical meter/switchboards.

In the case that upgrades, repairs or unexpected investment is needed prior to installation, we have a team of trusted consultants who can get the job done quickly.

Works requiring additional expenses will always be discussed with you first.

Most of the time, any interruption is minimal. However, if you’re in a space where noise can affect productivity then yes, the drilling can be quite loud and may cause interruption until the install is complete.

We will always discuss with you the best time to conduct works to minimise any disruption.

In some cases, yes. However, we will always discuss this with you first and can arrange the installation around your selected best time.

Our experienced installers will carry out the installation without causing any damage to your roof.

Yes. Solar plays a large part in offsetting building emissions and this is only set to rise.

Australia is currently projected to achieve a 30% reduction on its 2005 emissions by 2030, a four-point lead on our initial 2030 commitment of 26%.

However, more measures will be needed to reach net zero by 2050. Renewable energy will be increasingly used on new buildings In order to offset emissions and reach this target.

Many businesses are already making sustainable (and in some cases, profitable) changes to do their part.

Yes. All shapes and sizes.

With high rise buildings, we’ve got to get cables from the roof down to the where the inverters go, i.e. usually in the basement. As you can imagine, that can be a fairly in-depth process, but we have the industry expertise to know what to look for and how to get the job done.

Get in touch and we will arrange a site visit to assess solar feasibility for your building.

Yes, and in increasingly cool ways. Our premium system comes with a monitoring portal that can be embedded into your website. This means your customers can see the accumulative impact of your solar; whether it’s in trees planted or cars off the road. The options are really expanding in this space, so stay tuned for more.

When customers can see how much your system is producing, i.e. how much power you’re saving, how much carbon is being offset, or how many trees you’ve planted in TMRCA, they are able to connect with your brand on an ethical level. This is becomingly increasingly important.

With growing demand for businesses to implement sustainable solutions to global problems, this is a great way to measure and share your impact. It might inspire others to do the same!

Yes, it is very safe. Our premium system has an additional safety feature where each panel has an optimiser attached to it. If/when the system is turned off, it reduces the panel voltage down to one volt per pan-el.

This can be used as an additional safety measure. In the case of a fire, for example, the DC voltage from the panels to the inverter would drop down to ~60 volts DC when the power is cut, rather than 1000 volts while live.

We have used this as an additional safety precaution in a primary school.

The best kW system will largely depend on the size of your roof and your businesses’ energy requirements. Give us a call and we can run you through your options.