Renewable Energy Solutions

How Poor Power Quality Affects Commercial Solar

Commercial solar should reduce operating costs and strengthen your business. But if your site’s electrical environment is working against it, even a well-designed solar system may produce less energy than expected. Huon ...

In today's market, understanding how to optimise your energy use and reduce costs can provide a significant competitive advantage.

 

At Smart, we specialise in guiding businesses through this process with our Solar Feasibility Study and Energy Analysis. Here's what to expect when you engage with us to deep dive into your energy use, and how your business can benefit from this knowledge.

 

Before You Invest in Solar: Feasibility Study & Energy Analysis

 


 

What is a Solar Feasibility Study?


A Solar Feasibility Study is an in-depth evaluation designed to determine how solar energy and storage solutions can be integrated into your business operations to lower energy costs and minimise your carbon footprint. This study involves several key components:

  • Energy Bill Analysis: We start by reviewing your most recent energy bill to understand your current rates and consumption patterns.
  • Interval Data Review: We analyse your energy metering data, typically collected in 15 or 30-minute intervals over the past year. This data helps us assess your energy load throughout different times of the day and year.

By combining these elements, our team can tailor a solar solution that aligns perfectly with your energy needs and financial goals.

What is an Energy Analysis?


Following the feasibility study, an Energy Analysis dives deeper into your energy consumption patterns. This analysis involves:

  1. Creating a Load Profile: We map out how your business uses energy, identifying peak usage times and areas of waste.
  2. Assessing Solar Integration: Based on your load profile, we evaluate how solar energy can be effectively integrated into your operations to reduce costs.
  3. Cost Breakdown and Savings: We simplify your energy bill, breaking down various rates and costs to provide a clear picture of potential savings from solar energy.

This detailed analysis ensures that you have a comprehensive understanding of your current energy expenditure and how solar can offer substantial savings.


When is the Best Time to Get Started?


The optimal time to conduct a Solar Feasibility Study and Energy Analysis is as soon as possible. Here’s why:

  • Renewing Energy Contracts: If your energy contract is nearing its end, this is an ideal moment to reassess your costs and explore solar options. We can factor in your future energy rates to estimate how quickly you can pay off a solar system.
  • Project Planning: If you’re embarking on new projects or expansions, understanding your energy needs and potential solar benefits can help in planning and budgeting.

By proactively undertaking these studies, you can start saving on energy costs and contribute to reducing carbon emissions sooner.

What Sets Our Studies Apart?


Many energy companies offer analysis of some kind. Ours are different - here's why.

  • Expertise: Our studies are conducted by experienced renewable energy professionals in our Solutions team. Unlike other companies that may rely on third-party software, our experts provide a personalised assessment tailored to your specific needs.
  • Accuracy: We pride ourselves on delivering precise analyses. Our performance team regularly compares actual versus expected energy generation, achieving an impressive 91.2% accuracy.
  • Evolving with the times: Our Solar Feasibility Studies and Energy Analyses have evolved significantly. Today, we incorporate advanced elements such as BESS (Battery Energy Storage Solutions) and EV Charging infrastructure to address the latest trends and technologies.


Ready to Explore Solar?


If you’re interested in discovering how solar energy can transform your business, visiting our website is a great first step. It takes just a few minutes to fill out a form, and our team will reach out within a week or two to discuss your options.

Investing in a Solar Feasibility Study and Energy Analysis is a proactive step towards a more sustainable and cost-efficient energy future. Let Smart Commercial Energy help you unlock these benefits and guide you through the transition to solar energy with confidence.

 

Interested? Get in touch via the button below to get the ball rolling on your Energy Analysis and Solar Feasibility Study.energy analysis

 

Read Full Video Transcript

Andie Dertouzos:

Hi, my name is Andie. I'm the Lead Solutions Architect here at Smart Commercial Solar. I head up our Solutions team, where we undertake your energy data analysis and solar feasibility study for all of our new clients.

Our feasibility study is an individual look at how we can use solar and storage to reduce your energy costs and reduce your carbon footprint. To do our feasibility study, we typically need an energy bill, ideally the most recent, so we know what rates you're paying now, and interval data.

Interval data is metering data. Typically, it comes in 15 or 30-minute increments. We use that to assess your energy load over an entire year. So typically, we'd like that interval data to be over a whole year.

Off the back of that, an energy analysis is where we look at that interval data over the entire year and look at how you use your energy. We create a big load profile to see where it is you're using energy the most, the least, etcetera. From there, we make an assessment around how solar could best suit how you use energy.

We can make an assessment based on general pricing that is out there at the moment. We typically know how much people are paying in different states for different periods over the day. However, if you want an accurate reflection of how you're currently spending on your energy and how you could potentially save, it's the best way for us to approach it.

There are a lot of different costs on your energy bill. There are lots of different rates. It's broken down in lots of different ways. We take that and make it easy to understand, so you can understand not only your costs, but where those savings are coming from.

The best time to undertake one of these studies is now. The sooner you look at solar, the sooner you can start saving your business money and start reducing carbon emissions. If you're looking to renew your energy contract or your energy contract is coming to a close, that's a great time to really reassess your costs and your potential savings.

So, we bake in any future contracts that you have set up or are considering undertaking, so you can see how much faster or slower you may pay off that solar system based on your new rates. Typically, we do see people signing contracts for two, three or four years and potentially locking in rates that are a little bit higher. Another great time for people to undertake these studies is when they're undertaking ESG projects as well.

What sets us apart is that our studies are conducted by renewable energy experts right here in the Solutions team, whereas a lot of other businesses may rely on third-party software. So, the real value is in these experts having a look at your individual needs and then assessing what's best for you and your business.

We pride ourselves on the accuracy of our analysis, and our Performance team is, on a monthly basis, comparing actual versus expected annual generation. Our current estimate is that, on average, we are achieving about 91.2% of actual generation against the expected generation.

Today, our studies offer so much more than they did a few years ago. Now we include things like storage and EV chargers, which are two things most of our commercial customers are really looking for. If you're interested in undertaking one of these studies, just go to our website. It takes a couple of minutes to fill out a form, and we'll get back to you within a week or two.

Written by
Smart Team

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