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If your business is located in Manchester, New Hampshire, electricity is probably one of your recurring operating expenses that never seems to disappear.
Whether you operate an office, warehouse, retail location, manufacturing facility, restaurant, professional building or other commercial property, electricity costs can have a meaningful impact on your monthly overhead.
That is why more New Hampshire businesses are exploring affordable commercial solar installation services in Manchester, NH.
Commercial solar can allow a business to generate electricity on-site, reduce reliance on purchased grid power and potentially turn unused rooftop or property space into a productive energy asset.
Sunergy Solutions, LLC designs and installs commercial solar systems throughout New Hampshire, including Manchester and the surrounding Southern New Hampshire region.
Request Your Free Commercial Solar Assessment
Commercial solar installation involves designing and installing a solar photovoltaic system specifically for a business or commercial property.
Unlike a small residential solar installation, commercial projects may involve:
The appropriate system depends on the property’s available space, electricity consumption, roof structure, electrical infrastructure and business objectives.
Sunergy Solutions provides end-to-end commercial solar services, including assessment, engineering, permitting, installation, utility coordination and system monitoring.
Manchester is one of New Hampshire’s largest commercial centers, with businesses ranging from small professional offices to large industrial and warehouse properties.
For many businesses, electricity represents a recurring cost that can be difficult to control.
Solar provides an opportunity to generate at least some of that electricity on-site.
Instead of purchasing every kilowatt-hour from the utility, a properly sized solar system can produce electricity directly at the business.
That can potentially help a company:
The exact financial benefit depends on electricity usage, system size, utility rates, financing, site conditions and other factors.
The word affordable can mean something different for every business.
A small Manchester business may not want to make a large upfront capital investment.
A larger company may be interested in owning the system because of the potential long-term financial benefits.
Another business may prefer a financing arrangement that reduces or eliminates upfront costs.
That is why affordable commercial solar is not necessarily about installing the smallest system.
It is about designing the right system and financing structure for the business.
Sunergy Solutions describes several commercial solar financing approaches, including cash purchases, solar loans, PACE financing and power purchase agreements.
Commercial solar can be considered for many different types of properties.
Office buildings often have significant daytime electricity consumption, which can align well with solar production.
Large warehouse roofs can provide substantial space for solar panels, subject to structural and engineering requirements.
Manufacturing businesses may have significant electricity demand, making energy costs an important operating consideration.
Retail locations can potentially use rooftop solar to offset a portion of the electricity required for lighting, refrigeration, HVAC and other equipment.
Restaurants can have substantial energy consumption from refrigeration, cooking equipment, ventilation, lighting and heating or cooling.
Farms and agricultural operations may have large buildings and land areas that could potentially accommodate solar installations.
Commercial solar can also be considered for offices, clinics and professional facilities with suitable roof or ground space.
One of the first questions a commercial property owner should ask is whether the building is suitable for solar.
Several factors need to be evaluated.
A solar installation can remain on a commercial roof for decades.
If the roof is already near the end of its useful life, replacing or repairing it before installing solar may make more sense.
A larger roof can potentially accommodate more solar panels.
However, usable roof area is different from total roof area because mechanical equipment, setbacks, skylights and other obstacles must be considered.
Roof orientation can affect solar production.
Trees, neighboring buildings, rooftop equipment and other obstructions can reduce production.
Commercial solar equipment adds weight to the building.
A structural assessment may therefore be required to determine whether the roof can support the proposed system.
The building’s existing electrical equipment must be evaluated to determine how the solar system can be integrated.
Sunergy Solutions states that its commercial solar process includes evaluating the property’s roof and electrical infrastructure before developing a system design.
Before discussing the final price of a commercial solar system, a business needs to understand what its property can support.
A commercial solar assessment can examine:
Sunergy Solutions’ commercial solar process begins with a commercial solar assessment and uses energy usage and property information to develop a preliminary system design and financial projection.
There is no single price for commercial solar installation.
A small commercial system and a large industrial installation can have dramatically different costs.
Pricing can depend on:
Sunergy Solutions currently describes commercial New Hampshire solar costs as generally falling around $2.50–$3.50 per watt before incentives, while noting that actual pricing depends on system size, roof type and electrical complexity.
That means a property-specific proposal is considerably more useful than relying on a generic online solar calculator.
Businesses do not necessarily have to purchase a solar system entirely with cash.
Depending on eligibility and project structure, commercial solar can potentially be financed in several ways.
The business owns the solar system and may benefit from available tax and depreciation advantages, subject to its tax situation.
A business can finance the system while retaining ownership.
Qualifying commercial properties may be able to use Property Assessed Clean Energy financing.
Under a PPA structure, a third party owns the solar system and the business purchases the electricity generated by the system under the agreement.
The appropriate option depends on the company’s capital position, tax circumstances, property ownership and long-term goals.
A qualified solar professional and the company’s tax and financial advisors should be consulted before choosing a financing structure.
Federal incentives can play an important role in the economics of commercial solar.
Sunergy Solutions’ current New Hampshire commercial solar information identifies the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit as a major component of the potential incentive structure for qualifying commercial solar projects.
Other potential considerations can include:
Because incentive rules and eligibility can change, businesses should confirm current requirements with their solar provider, utility and tax professional before making financial decisions.
Some Manchester business owners wonder whether solar makes sense in a state that experiences snowy winters.
Solar panels can continue producing electricity during cold weather, although production varies throughout the year.
Winter brings shorter daylight hours and snow accumulation can temporarily reduce production.
At the same time, modern solar systems are designed to produce electricity across all four seasons.
Annual production estimates should account for seasonal variations rather than assuming the same amount of electricity will be produced every month.
For a commercial property, the important question is therefore not whether the system produces as much energy in December as July.
It is whether the annual production and financial performance make sense for the business.
Commercial solar does not necessarily have to be installed on a roof.
Businesses with parking areas may also consider a solar parking canopy.
A solar canopy can potentially provide two functions:
Depending on the project, solar canopies can also be designed with EV charging infrastructure.
Sunergy Solutions identifies solar canopies as one of the commercial solar options available to New Hampshire businesses.
For a business with limited usable rooftop space but a large parking lot, this can be worth investigating.
Some businesses may also consider battery storage alongside solar.
Energy storage can potentially provide benefits such as:
The economics of batteries vary significantly by business load profile, utility structure and project design.
For that reason, battery storage should be evaluated as part of the overall energy strategy rather than automatically added to every solar project.
Although this article focuses on Manchester, commercial properties throughout the surrounding region may also be candidates for solar.
Sunergy Solutions serves commercial customers throughout New Hampshire, including communities such as:
Sunergy Solutions’ New Hampshire service information specifically identifies Manchester and the Merrimack Valley as a service region.
Sunergy Solutions, LLC is a New Hampshire-based solar contractor offering solar services to both residential and commercial customers. Its commercial services include system design, engineering, permitting, installation and ongoing monitoring.
For a business owner, having one company manage the project from initial assessment through installation can simplify a complicated process.
Sunergy Solutions’ commercial solar process includes:
Every commercial property is different.
A business with a large electricity bill, suitable roof space and significant daytime electricity consumption may have a different solar opportunity from a small office with limited energy use.
The best way to determine whether solar makes sense is to analyze the actual property and electricity consumption.
A commercial solar assessment can provide information about:
Instead of guessing, business owners can make the decision using information specific to their property.
If your business is located in Manchester or the surrounding Southern New Hampshire region, Sunergy Solutions can evaluate your property and help determine whether commercial solar is a practical option.
Request Your Free Commercial Solar Assessment
A commercial solar assessment can help you understand your property’s solar potential, expected production and available project options before you commit to an installation.
It can be, depending on electricity usage, property conditions, system size and financing. Commercial solar can be structured through different ownership and financing models, so businesses should evaluate the economics of their individual property.
Yes. Flat commercial roofs can be suitable for solar when the roof condition, structural capacity, equipment layout and mounting approach are appropriate.
Potentially. Solar projects can sometimes be structured with landlord approval, depending on the lease and property ownership arrangement.
Yes. Sunergy Solutions provides commercial solar installation services throughout New Hampshire, including Manchester and the Merrimack Valley.
Yes. Solar parking canopies can combine solar generation with covered parking and may also be compatible with EV charging infrastructure.
Project timelines vary considerably depending on system size, engineering, permitting, utility interconnection and site complexity. Sunergy Solutions notes that commercial projects can take several weeks for installation, with the complete timeline depending on the project.
For Manchester business owners, solar can be more than a sustainability project.
It can be a way to examine one of the ongoing costs of running a business: electricity.
The right commercial solar system can potentially transform unused roof space, land or parking areas into productive energy-generating assets.
But the first step should not be signing a solar contract.
The first step should be finding out whether your property makes financial and technical sense for solar.
Sunergy Solutions provides commercial solar assessments, system design, engineering, permitting and installation for businesses throughout New Hampshire.
Contact Sunergy Solutions for Your Free Commercial Solar Assessment
If your business is in Manchester, Bedford, Merrimack, Londonderry, Hooksett or another Southern New Hampshire community, request an assessment and find out what commercial solar could look like for your property.
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