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Solar Panels Benefits for Businesses

Posted on by Creative Asset

With the continuously rising price of oil and the growing concerns for the environment, more and more businesses are turning to alternative sources of energy. Among the most popular of these energy sources is solar energy, a sustainable option that is becoming more financially viable every year. 

As small, medium and large companies alike are now discovering, solar panels can be highly beneficial in a number of different ways. Here are some of the main benefits of solar panels for businesses.

Return on Investment

As important as it is to help the planet, we understand that a business is a business; the priority is ultimately to make money. Therefore, if solar panels didn’t make much sense financially, there would be little motivation to have them installed. 

Fortunately, solar panels can all but guarantee a sound return on your investment. The reason for this is a combination of solar PV technology being more widely available (and therefore cheaper), the yearly savings on electricity bills, and minimal maintenance requirements for the solar panels. 

Due to the continuing rises in the cost of National Grid supplied energy, solar energy is now estimated to be around 60-70% cheaper than buying from the grid. This means you can expect to pay back the cost of installation in as little as 5 years (perhaps even less now that VAT has been cut), and then enjoy a generous ROI (around 15% per year) thereafter.

It’s also worth noting that if you choose to finance the capital outlay, you could expect to achieve a positive cash flow within two years. 

Reduce Operating Costs

Solar PV energy is one of the best ways to cut costs for your business. Granted, the initial payment for installation may seem expensive, but the mid-to-long-term benefits more than outweigh the initial costs. 

Plus, as soon as your solar panels are installed, you’ll immediately see reductions in your electricity bill. On average, businesses currently pay between 11 and 15p for every kWh of energy, whereas the average cost of producing commercial solar PV energy is 5p.

Also considering the fact that energy bills are set to double in the next ten years, it’s clear that solar panels will save your business more and more money as time goes on. 

Earn a “Green” Label

The environment is rightly a huge concern nowadays, with more and more customers becoming aware of how they personally impact the world’s ecosystem. As a result, these customers are being more choosy about the businesses they buy from; specifically, they may avoid businesses that are making no effort to adopt more sustainable practices.

By going green with solar panels and consequently reducing your carbon footprint, you are sending a very clear message of support for the planet. This can create some great PR opportunities, and may ultimately attract customers away from your non-green competitors.  

Low Maintenance Requirements

Solar panels have no moving parts, and for the most part, you can rely on the rain to take care of most of the cleaning. They are designed to last a very long time, and most solar PV systems nowadays come with a 25-year warranty. The only thing that will likely need attention is the inverter, which will need to be replaced around the 10-15 year mark.

Other than that, once installed, you can pretty much forget about your solar panels as they work their money-saving magic. 

Get Paid for Exported (Unused) Energy

Solar panels don’t just save your business money; they can make you money, too. This is thanks to the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), a government incentive scheme that rewards households and businesses for the solar energy they export. So if you generate electricity that you don’t use yourself, it gets pumped back into the National Grid, and you get paid for it.  

Exactly how much you make will depend on the size of your system and your energy tariff. In any case, the money-making opportunity from the SEG scheme is a very welcomed bonus for commercial solar panels.  

Prepare for the Future With Solar Panels for Your Business

Rising electricity prices aren’t going anywhere, and neither are solar panels. As time goes on, solar panels simply make increasing sense for businesses. By having solar panels installed, you are protecting yourself from the tumultuous price hikes in National Grid-supplied energy, and you are joining the crucial global movement towards a more sustainable future. 

If you want to support the future growth and economic well-being of your business, look no further than solar panels. If you are a business in the East Midlands, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at MTG. 

As accredited providers of commercial solar panels, we are more than happy to answer any questions, provide a free quotation, and of course supply you with a solar PV system that will provide numerous benefits for your business!

How Solar Panels Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Posted on by Creative Asset

If you are looking for a simple, cost-effective way to reduce your carbon footprint, then look no further than solar panels. 

Together with the money-saving opportunities, the prospect of clean energy is why more and more solar panels are appearing on the roofs of properties across the UK. If you’re curious to learn more about how solar panels reduce your carbon footprint, read on!

How do solar panels reduce your carbon footprint?

The sun provides enough raw energy in just one hour to power the entire earth for a year. And unlike the fossil fuels commonly used in domestic and business settings, it is clean, renewable energy. 

Solar panels allow us to harness this energy. Using photovoltaic cells, they convert the photons of sunlight into a current of electricity, which is then passed through an inverter to generate an alternating current. This alternating current is the free, renewable energy that can either power your property or be fed into the National Grid. 

As a result, you use fewer fossil fuels, and therefore significantly reduce your carbon footprint. 

How much do solar panels reduce your carbon footprint?

According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average UK home with a solar PV system installed could reduce carbon emissions by 1.3 to 1.6 tonnes per year. 

To put that into context, 1.3 tonnes of CO2 is roughly the same amount of emissions that come from using 536 gallons of petrol, or charging 607,904 smartphones. 

Over the course of 30 years, a standard solar PV system can be expected to save 39 tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to the amount of CO2 saved from planting 2,365 tree seedlings.  

Do solar panels have a carbon footprint?

Though solar panels don’t produce emissions once installed, the production steps leading to the installation inevitably contain a carbon footprint – from the mining of the metals, to the panel manufacturing process, to the transportation of the finished panels.

However, ever since the inception of solar panels, plenty of work and research has been carried out to improve the carbon efficiency of the manufacturing process. The solar industry has matured a great deal in recent years, and manufacturers have been able to adopt a number of practices that reduce emissions, including the use of more carbon-efficient materials.

Moreover, as renewable energy becomes more common, manufacturers rely less and less on coal to power the production process. This eventually could lead to a future where there are zero carbon emissions in the solar panel manufacturing process.

It’s also worth noting that any carbon debt you acquire from having solar panels installed will be 20 times less than the carbon output of coal-powered electricity sources. So in effect, you’ll completely reduce your emissions by just having solar panels installed. After just three years of use, the panels will have completely neutralised your carbon footprint.     

How to make the most out of your solar panels

One of the great things about solar panels is that, once they’re installed, you don’t really have to worry about them. Solar PV requires very little maintenance and will work its magic even on cloudy days. 

Your system will prioritise using electricity generated from your panels, and it will seamlessly switch to using energy from the National Grid whenever necessary. This means you won’t notice any difference in your electricity supply.

Your solar panels will work alongside your normal energy tariff without you having to notify your energy company. Having said that, you should consider shopping around to make sure you’re getting the best available tariff. 

In terms of your electricity usage, it’s best to use any heavy-duty appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers during the day, as this is when your solar panels are most effective. If you’re usually out during the day, you can take advantage of any inbuilt timers your appliances may have. 

You’ll also have the option to install a solar battery or energy storage system, which can store electricity generated during the day to be used at a separate time. This will help to ensure you’re using as much of your solar energy as possible, thus further reducing your carbon footprint. 

Invest in solar panels today to start reducing your carbon footprint!

Solar panels are undeniably a force for good when it comes to lowering carbon emissions, and by having them installed on your property, you’ll be playing a huge role in the planet-wide quest for sustainability – and saving yourself money on bills in the process!

At MTG, we provide top-quality solar panels to households and businesses across the Midlands. Get in touch today to receive a free quotation! 

12 Things You Should Know About Solar Panels (Part 2/2)

Posted on by Creative Asset

We could talk endlessly about the many interesting features and benefits of solar panels, but because we are conscious of your time, we have decided to limit ourselves to just 12. In part one of ‘12 things you should know about solar panels’, we covered their money-making capabilities, their hassle-free nature, and more. 

Welcome to part two, where we look at other interesting things worth knowing about solar panels. Feel free to check out part one first if you haven’t already, or you could go there afterwards, it’s up to you. Either way, here are six more things that you should know about solar panels!

They increase the value of your home

That’s right! We long suspected that solar panels increase the value of a property, but it wasn’t confirmed until recently. A few months ago, Solar Energy UK released a report revealing that solar panels could increase the value of a UK home by as much as £3,000!

This ground-breaking research involved a statistical analysis of five million property transactions, and the results were clear. Along with the monthly savings and money made from the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), the value increasing nature of solar panels all but guarantees a significant return on investment for you, your family and your business. 

It’s also very likely that, as the demand for solar energy continues to rise, so too will the amount of value solar panels add to your property. 

They are helping to save the planet

According to the Energy Saving Trust, a typical home solar PV system could save around 1.3 to 1.6 tonnes of carbon per year. In the grand scheme of the climate crises, these may seem like small and insignificant figures – but spread across thousands of businesses and households, these carbon savings are having a huge impact. 

You can calculate your savings ahead of time

If you want to get a more tangible idea of the savings you could make with solar panels, you could check out the Energy Saving Trust’s solar energy calculator. This clever tool gives an estimation of potential savings based on the information you provide. 

While there is no guarantee of accuracy, it should give you reassurance as to whether or not a solar PV system is right for you. 

They won’t affect your electricity supply

As long as your solar panels are installed correctly, the system will be able to switch seamlessly between solar energy and energy from the national grid. So if ever your solar panels don’t generate enough power, you won’t be left without electricity. 

There’s also no need to tell your energy company that you are having solar panels installed, since they are designed to work alongside your normal energy tariff. Having said that, you should consider shopping around to make sure your tariff is giving you the biggest possible savings!

You could recoup the costs in less than a decade

It takes an average of nine years for a UK solar household to recoup the cost of installation. This is based on a combination of factors, including where you live and how much electricity you use each day. 

In any case, it’s pretty much guaranteed that your solar panels will pay themselves back in less than 20 years. So if you’re planning on staying in your current property for a long time, solar panels are pretty much a no-brainer!

They reduce your energy bills!

We’ve saved the best till last. Indeed, this is the main reason why households and businesses alike choose to go solar. For the average household, a 3.5 kWp system could knock between £170 and £440 per year off your bills (according to the latest Energy Saving Trust estimations).

As the cost of living continues to rise, solar panels provide a refreshing constant in an otherwise turbulent energy market. Electricity generated from the sun is free, and always will be. 

Get in touch today to join the solar revolution!

That’s it for our round-up of things you should know about solar panels. Hopefully, you’ve learned something new, and have also been reassured that solar panels are a great choice for your home or your business!

Nonetheless, having solar panels installed is a big decision, and you’ll no doubt want to make absolutely sure they are right for you. If you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call – we’d be happy to help. And better yet, we can offer you a free, no-obligation quote. 

Start your planet-saving, money-saving and money-making solar journey today!