Solar Panels: cutting energy costs for commercial and industrial premises

Carmarthen – Swansea – Bridgend – Cardiff – Newport – Bristol - Avonmouth

A modern business needs a clean, sustainable energy source. Customers admire it. Supply chains expect it. And how long before government demands it?

From cost to ethics to plain common sense, solar panels are a smart move for any forward-thinking business.

A Sound Investment

Electricity savings are only the start. You’re adding to the value of your commercial property, and profiting from the surplus energy you sell back to the grid. Add to that tax savings and funding options, and it’s easy to make a business case for solar.

The Practical Choice

Designed for all weathers, solar panels require little maintenance. They’ll work through all seasons, without the noise and mess of a back-up generator. And with a 25 -30 year lifespan, your company’s energy is secure for decades to come.

Green Credentials

Whether you’re pursuing a green agenda or simply keeping an eye on regulations, solar energy gives your business an environmental boost. You’re taking steps to reduce your carbon footprint, and leading by example as the business world heads for net zero.

Working with ECOnomy Energy Group

From Carmarthen to Avonmouth, we have installation crews working across South Wales and the West of England – fitting cost-efficient solar energy systems in every kind of commercial building.

Here’s why businesses are choosing us as their green energy partner.

Custom Spec

We’ll assess your working patterns and design a system that gives you the best yield – accounting for your energy use, working hours and back-up power needs.

The result could be a rooftop or ground-mounted system, with monofacial or bifacial panels – with or without a storage battery.

Everything is bespoke.

HSE Compliance

It goes without saying, our CHAS-accredited installation crews follow every HSE requirement when working on your premises.

But installation is more than a box-ticking exercise. For safety and quality purposes, our senior team will be a regular presence on site, inspecting progress and reporting back at every critical milestone.

Proactive Care

The best solar panels have a remarkably low failure rate, so you can expect a strong output whenever the sun is shining.

And if your power ever dips, we’ll know about it straight away. Our remote monitoring system alerts us to faults as they arise, so we can diagnose them and fix without delay. It’s all part of your annual maintenance package.

What our customers say...

"They worked around our schedule to complete the installation. Now we can show we’re a green supplier striving towards a net zero target, and that’s been a real boost for procurement."

Tommscare, Port Talbot

"We asked ECOnomy Energy Group to fit our EV charging points, which brought us instant savings. Then we decided to add solar panels, to save us even more. They designed a solar spec that gave us all the energy we needed – enough to power the office and run the electric fleet!"

Abby Truscott, P.E.S. Llansamlet

"Anthony we found to be a pleasure to have complete work required on our building, all work carried out and completed within a respectable time due to other work / job commitments. Anthony was able to meet on planned dates to carry out work and costs for work we were happy to accommodate."

Roger Viccars - St John Cymru Wales, Neath

"Service was excellent, from start to finish. Managed to fit us in within a day for an EV charger to be installed. The work wasn't easy, they had to go under our front steps and front border, through walls, dig down under a border of chippings yet when I arrived home, it was all so clean and tidy, you wouldn't think anything had been done! Really impressed and most grateful for the advice and support with everything."

Rebecca Hartt

"Last week, I found my husband in the storage area staring at two full batteries, with a huge grin on his face. The pound signs in his eyes just lit up, like a child at Christmas!"

Abby Truscott, P.E.S. Llansamlet

Frequently Asked Questions

Can solar panels power my entire business?

That depends. We'll have to consider:

How much roof or ground space do you have available across your estate?
Are there any obstructions blocking direct sunlight?
Is your site a good fit for bifacial panels that soak up rays from underneath?
How much energy does your business use in a working day – and are you operational every day of the week?
Do you work outside daylight hours – enough to need a storage battery?
Are you taking other steps to lower your energy use in the business?

There's no doubt that you’ll pay much less for electricity – typically saving up to 70%. But we won't know the numbers until we can answer all these questions and more.

What’s the ROI of a solar energy system?

It’s common for a business to see a return on solar in the first 3 years. But that’s just a rule of thumb - your return on investment depends on your energy use and the spec of your solar panels, which we’ll calculate together when we assess your business.

Wherever practical, the best ROI comes from bifacial panels. By capturing rays from above and below, they can generate up to 20% more energy and bring a much faster return.

How long will my panels last?

Monofacial solar panels come with a 25-year warranty, comprised of a 12-year manufacturer’s warranty and 13-year output warranty. Bifacial panels last longer, with a 30-year warranty as standard.

I need power 24/7 with no downtime. Will solar work?

Solar is perfect for hospitals and industrial sites that never power down. Instead of taking power from the grid and backing up with a generator, use solar as your main energy source and turn to the grid for back-up.

It goes without saying that solar is cleaner, quieter and more cost effective than a fuel-powered generator. And you'll be joining the green revolution, with all its added benefits.

Is the storage battery essential?

No – batteries are an option, not a necessity. For some businesses they’re a smart move, while for others they serve no purpose. The question for you is - will you have excess energy to store?

If you can run an excess during daylight hours - and you’ll draw on that excess to power up after dark – then yes, a storage battery is a wise addition.

But if you’re using all the solar energy as it’s generated – and you never get any downtime to boost your solar reserves – then a battery is going to be a waste of money.

It all hinges on your working hours, energy demands, and the solar yield you’ll get from your roof or ground space. That’s something we can discuss further when we meet you on site.

Finances aside, how will solar help my business?

Solar panels offer you much more than cost savings and a new revenue stream. Companies are going solar for a host of other reasons:

Environmental gains: a lower carbon footprint, and a step towards net zero.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): a chance to lead by example, and meet the changing expectations of staff, suppliers and customers.
Charitable funding: channelling savings into a worthy cause.
Business opportunities: green energy is a staple requirement in modern tendering frameworks, especially if you’re bidding for public sector contracts.
Pre-emptive action: with the UK and devolved governments pushing a green agenda, it makes sense to act now and stay ahead of the regulators.

I don't own my office building. Am I allowed to fit solar panels?

Your landlord stands to gain from a solar installation. They’ll increase their property value, and it will help towards the target EPC rating that all commercial properties must achieve by 2025. So if you’re covering the cost of installation, it’s unlikely that your landlord will refuse.

What happens after the panels are installed?

As your long-term solar partner, we’ll agree an annual maintenance package that will keep your system running at an optimum level. That includes remote monitoring, with a rapid response to any faults we detect in your batteries or inverter – saving you the hassle of dealing with multiple suppliers.

We’ll also clean your panels regularly, to maximise their daily yield and keep them working for you, for decades to come.

What type of business funding is available for solar?

There are various grants, loan schemes and tax incentives, all with separate criteria. It can hinge on your location and the nature of your business, so talk to us and we’ll show you the best way to fund your solar panels.

You may even qualify for a FREE solar energy system, through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). This is a popular choice for growing businesses with limited cashflow, as there is no charge for equipment, installation or maintenance. You just agree – with your landlord’s permission - to host the solar panels on your site, and buy your energy at a discounted rate for a set period of time.

It means instant savings with no outlay. And when the agreement ends, the panels belong to you or your landlord – giving you free solar energy.

Our promise to you...

Some unethical firms are making outrageous, unsubstantiated claims about the type of savings and revenues you can achieve through solar.

Any figures we provide on this website are based on conservative estimates. And when we visit your premises, we will give you a customised, realistic projection to plug into your business case.

Anthony Dixey

Managing Director