Resources for Commercial Solar Owners

Having solar at your business is great, and to optimize your new asset, we have put together some helpful resources to help your business maintain its panels and understand the changes to your electric bill.

How to Read Your Electric Bill

Businesses depend on reliable data to understand their costs and plan accordingly. How much your business can save with solar depends on the electric rates in your area and other factors.

Each of the electric utilities in New York State have issued resources to help you learn more about how to read your new electric bill now that your business has solar.

How to Maintain Your Solar Panels

Solar panels are a relatively low-maintenance technology, but there are a few things to keep in mind to support optimal performance over the equipment’s 25+ year lifespan.

Keeping panels clear of debris and snowfall to the extent possible is recommended to maintain solar output. Paying attention to solar output from month-to-month can help detect such issues and inefficiencies.

Since solar panels are usually installed at an angle, they’re often cleared off naturally by rainfall. If conditions have caused significant dust, dirt, or debris to accumulate and you see a drop in generation, cleaning your panels could be beneficial. Checking with your installer about operations and maintenance services, or a recommended contractor, is a useful place to start.

Understanding the contractor and manufacturer warranties is also important for solar panel maintenance. NY-Sun contractors must provide a five-year workmanship warranty covering all components of the home solar system against breakdown or degradation. Working with a NY-Sun contractor also brings a power production warranty that guarantees at least 80% production 25 years after installation.

In case a solar installer goes out of business, take stock of any manufacturer warranties, which may also protect against defective parts and degradation in power output.

Optimizing Your Solar Energy

Don't let solar be the last stop on your business’s sustainability journey. Your business can maximize the value it gets from solar when you combine it with other clean energy technologies and energy management strategies.

For example, adding energy storage to your business’s system can further lower your energy costs and add a layer of resilience to your operations.

Here’s how:

• Charge from the grid during off-peak times and discharge when electricity costs are highest, helping you always capture the lowest possible rates
• Maximize the financial value your business can get out of participating in utility demand response programs to receive payments for reducing the use of electricity from the grid during periods of high-demand.
• Provide high power quality without fluctuations in voltage, frequency, or short-duration outages
• Save early morning solar generation for use on site or to export for grid compensation when it is more valuable later in the day