Commercial Installations

Commercial premises can benefit from the government Feed-in Tariffs too giving a significant return to businesses and organizations, in fact a business with a suitable south facing roof can expect to see an annual return of around 10%.

The Feed-in Tariffs work in exactly the same way as they do for a residential installation with payment levels tiered as follows

System Size Tariff (pence per kWh per annum)

<   4 kWp 21.0

>   4 kWp – 10kWp 16.8

> 10 kWp – 50kWp 15.2

In addition to the above Feed-In Tariff payments businesses can also expect a significant reduction in their energy costs as most non-residential customers use all of the electricity generated by the system thereby reducing their consumption by the total amount.

Example:  36.48 kWp system producing 26,328 kWh per annum

Feed-in Tariff       = 26,328 x 15.2p  = £   4,002

Electricity savings = 26,328 x 11.0p  = £   2,896

Total = £  6,898

The organization will receive a first year payment of £4,002 which is index-linked in subsequent years and in addition will see its energy bill reduce by £2,896 (based on current average electricity prices of 11p per kWh). As energy costs rise the value of those savings will in turn increase.

Positive PR

As the market becomes increasingly aware of environmental issues it is important that businesses demonstrate their commitment to reduce their carbon footprint as well as a willingness to utilise green technologies wherever possible. The installation of a Solar PV system delivers a very public message that the organisation takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and is making a valuable contribution to the grid.