How Energy Independence Can Save You Money in California
11/14/2022Due to its near-constant sunshine, corporate sustainability goals, favorable regulatory environment, and high energy costs, California is ripe with solar energy potential.
If your Golden State business is considering renewable energy efficiency, here's what you need to know.
The Advantages of Onsite Energy Generation for Commercial Businesses
Many businesses are beginning to leverage the advantages of renewable energy generation to:
Avoid Rising Electricity Costs
California businesses are at a competitive disadvantage compared to companies located in Western and Midwestern states. Year after year, we pay far more for electricity than anyone else in the nation.
To put it into perspective, on September 23, 2022, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its monthly energy update. To no surprise, California led the list, as we paid the highest energy rates in the continental U.S. ( #1 in commercial rates and #2 in industrial rates).
To make matters worse, energy prices are only going up for businesses in California. If you compare your electricity costs today to ten years ago, you'll see the price nearly doubled.
Regardless of your utility provider, you've been subjected to a noticeable price hike over the last few years. On average, commercial electricity rates in California have a 5% annual increase—and they've already increased by 20% in 2022 alone.
Luckily, by going solar, you can lock in lower electricity prices and break free from your utility company's rate hikes. Because you'll be generating your own electricity, your business will no longer be reliant on the grid, saving you a significant amount of capital in the long run.
Stay Ahead of Power Outages and Blackouts
Every business around in 2019 can recall the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) incident. For those who don't remember, negligence on PG&E's behalf contributed to nine wildfires of 10 acres or larger. As a result, they went bankrupt. To prevent wildfires now they shut down segments of the grid causing electricity blackouts for more than 500,000 residents in California.
Additionally, the CEO of PG&E estimates it could be another decade until they can adequately update their infrastructure. In the meantime, businesses on the grid are stuck paying a premium for electricity—unless you have onsite energy generation.
One of the most significant advantages of investing in solar plus battery solutions is the fact you generate your own energy. Your business can be set up so it won''t be reliant on the grid, you can say goodbye to ridiculous rate hikes and blackout threats.
You Can Generate Enough to Cover All Your Needs
Some days your panels will generate more electricity than your building needs. That's why California offers net energy metering (NEM). This allows customers to send surplus energy back to local power grids. In exchange, you get energy credits applied to your monthly bill.
However, it's important to note if there's another way to take advantage of no-limit energy generation. If you don't want to send your excess electricity to the grid, consider outfitting your system with solar batteries.
Solar batteries store excess electricity generated by your panels. They act as an emergency energy reserve, helping keep your business operations up and running during future blackouts or power outages.
CTA: Tired of your solar panels sending excess energy to the grid? You need an easy way to store electricity.
Button Text: Discover the advantages of solar batteries.
How To Find a High-Quality Solar Provider in California
When it comes to getting renewable energy, you want a provider who gets the job done right. To find a high-quality solar provider in California, do the following:
Read Online Reviews
When searching for a provider to install your solar panels, online reviews are a great place to start. Create a list of potential companies in your area, and read their reviews on Google, Facebook, and Yelp.
Because these are the three major review websites, you''ll get a large sample size of customer experiences. Being able to read several testimonials gives you a comprehensive picture of what the company does and, more importantly, how well they do it.
It''s important to note that no company delivers perfect service—mistakes happen. Even the highest-rated solar providers in California have the occasional customer unhappy with the service they received. Don''t get too hung up on a single bad review; instead, look for patterns.
If you see multiple reviews noting poor installation quality, that''s when it''s safe to assume a company has some internal issues they need to work through.
Talk to Neighbors, Friends, and Other Businesses
While online reviews can be helpful, they shouldn't be the beginning and end in your search for a reliable solar provider. You should also talk to your neighbors, friends, and other businesses.
There's a good chance several of your local connections had solar panels installed through a company they're willing to vouch for or, more importantly, recommend avoiding.
Ask your personal and professional connections questions like:
What made your experience good or bad?
How attentive were they to your business's needs?
Are there any hidden costs they didn't tell you about?
Was the price for new panels fair for the service received?
Did you experience any mechanical issues with your solar panels after they were installed?
If they used a company more than two years ago, take their recommendation with a grain of salt. Companies can improve and change over time, and it might be worth giving your potential solar provider the benefit of the doubt.
Get in Touch With Pacifico Power
The Pacifico Power team has been developing renewable power projects for over a decade, with experience in:
Designing
Contracting
Permitting
Consulting
Interconnection
Energy trading
Financing
Over our decade of service, we've raised over $4 billion USD in equity and debt financing for numerous large-scale projects. If you need a commercial solar solution, rest assured that the experts at Pacifico have you covered.