If there is one thing a business needs, it's stability. Being in control of your energy supply means that your productivity and profit isn’t affected by supply issues or erratic pricing. Using renewable energy also future proofs your business by cutting your electricity bill and therefore reducing any green levies or taxes that will inevitably be introduced in the coming years. Plus, going green is a very marketable commodity.  

There are 2 types of photovoltaic panels generally used in the UK - monocrystalline and polycrystalline. Without going into too much detail, monocrystalline panels tend to be most popular and widely available. The technology is improving within the industry and Solar Fast supply a half-cell monocrystalline panel that is one of the most efficient products on the market.  

A good installer will ensure the most cost effective panels are part of your system. 

This would be based on the amount of energy you use, how much space you have to install the panels and what kind of panels you opt for. 

Also, it’s best to think of your system as a way to reduce, rather than eradicate, electricity bills. But, regardless of whether your system is large enough to produce most of your energy needs or not, it is certainly a worthwhile investment. 

Even a relatively small, 18 panel system would save a medium sized business (50 - 250 employees) up to £4000 a year at current energy prices. 

While the government has announced a 0% VAT rate on domestic installations, the VAT is still set at 5% for businesses. 

Including batteries in your commercial solar power installation isn’t essential but we would recommend it if the premises are used outside of sunlight hours as, if you are overproducing during the day, this can be stored for later. This means you can continue to save money on your energy even when everyone’s working nights.  

If you don’t want to include a battery in your system, we would recommend speaking to your supplier about a SEG (Smart Energy Guarantee) to sell any excess electricity back into the grid. 

In short, no you don’t, but we will have to add a few caveats to that answer.  

Roof based solar system must not stick out more than 200mm from the roof/wall surface it is mounted on. If the system is on a flat roof, the panels must be less than 1m in height above the highest part of the flat roof excluding any chimneys. They must also be over 1m away from any external edges of the roof.   

If you are lucky enough to have a business in an area of outstanding natural beauty, or land with similar restrictions, then you can’t have anything on a roof slope or wall facing the road. 

New planning rules mean ground-mounted solar arrays of up to nine square metres don’t need planning permission if they are less than 4m tall and you can only have one ground mounted system for each building.

You can indeed but you will need the permission from the landlord and you will still need to comply with any regulations and planning rules attached to the building.  

Most landlords would be delighted with one of their tenants installing a system that reduces the carbon foot-print of their property. 

Yes, yes you do.  

Any kind of change to a listed building has to be okayed by the local council and you will have to make a case for your ‘LBC’ (Listed Building Consent). The advantage you will have is that renewable energy provision is a very compelling argument for improving both the cost and carbon footprint of an old building.  

Panels are also easy to install, remove or replace with minimal disruption to a building. 

Leave it to us!  

We handle planning applications on your behalf as part of the install.  

We will also handle structural surveys. These are required whenever the panels increase the structural load on the roof by 15% or more - which is pretty much all commercial installs.  

Again, we handle this in your name and payment is made outside of your contract. That way, you get to keep the report to use elsewhere if you decide not to continue with the install.