Commercial solar lease programs allow commercial building owners to turn their roofs into an electricity-producing resource without requiring any sort of capital investment. It also makes the installation easier because the commercial solar leasing company comes in and handles all of this for you.
The commercial solar leasing company installs, owns, and maintains the panels while your business simply buys back the electricity at a lower rate than it would cost you if you were using power from the grid (without factoring in rebates).
This seems like a win-win situation for everyone until you start considering that commercial solar panel systems only generate electricity during daylight hours when your business may not be operating.
The commercial solar leasing company uses this to its advantage and leases commercial solar panel systems under a “net metering” agreement (which means they only pay you back for the net energy that’s created).
That may work out fine, but what happens to the excess electricity that commercial solar panels generate when your business isn’t using it?
If you’re like most commercial building owners then there are times when your business will need more power than commercial solar panels can provide. This leads commercial building owners to ask themselves whether or not commercial solar panel systems make financial sense given where they stand in terms of their current utility costs versus how much electricity commercial solar panels produce at peak sunlight hours.
To answer these questions it helps to take a commercial solar lease vs buy commercial solar panels commercial.
The following is a breakdown of the pros and cons of commercial solar leases:
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #1 – No Capital Investment Required
As commercial building owners begin to explore the process of commercial solar leasing, one thing they quickly realize is that there’s no capital investment required from their end. This enables commercial building owners to turn previously unusable roof space into an electricity-producing resource with virtually zero effort on their part.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #2 – Lower Energy Costs for Businesses Operating at Night
One of the most difficult things about switching over to commercial solar energy is figuring out whether or not the savings will offset your increased operating expenses during peak sunlight hours. Even commercial building owners who’ve been extremely conservative about their commercial energy usage may find that commercial solar panels don’t offset the higher commercial electricity costs as much as they’d initially hoped.
But commercial solar leases solve this problem because commercial solar leasing companies determine what part of your commercial property’s roof will be used to generate power and how many panels are needed to meet their needs. This helps businesses avoid the headache associated with figuring out whether or not a certain number of commercial solar panels can produce enough electricity for an entire day given how their operations align with the sun’s availability during peak hours.
Commercial Solar Leasing Con #1 – Efficiency Issues May Exist
Another downside to commercial solar panel systems is that efficiency rates tend not to be as high as commercial building owners might hope. For commercial solar installations to be worth commercial solar leasing companies’ time, commercial building owners need to know that commercial solar panels can produce a significant amount of energy during peak sunlight hours in order for commercial solar leasing agreements to make financial sense.
A commercial solar leasing company may not always have the highest efficiency commercial solar panel systems on the market but commercial building owners who are considering going this route should expect competitive pricing in return in addition to a streamlined process that makes it easy for them to switch over from traditional commercial electricity usage patterns.
Commercial Solar Leasing Con #2 – Expensive Upgrades May Be Required
For commercial buildings that intend on using their newly installed commercial solar panels every day, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is commercial solar panel systems are designed to be weatherproof so commercial building owners can expect commercial solar panels to last for several years without needing expensive upgrades.
The bad news commercial solar leasing companies point out is that commercial building owners need to have a commercial building management plan in place before commercial solar installations are completed in order to take full advantage of the electricity savings commercial leases offer.
This means investing in commercial energy storage technology, which tends not only to be expensive but also has its own set of efficiency issues given that large-scale commercial energy storage requires substantial commercial space since batteries require significant floor space and lots of ventilation.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #3 – No Additional Commercial Property Taxes
One thing commercial building owners who are considering commercial solar leasing can expect commercial solar leasing companies to offer is a commercial lease agreement that not only reduces the commercial building’s electricity bill but also ensures commercial building owners won’t be responsible for any commercial property taxes that might come into play as a result of the new commercial solar installation.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #4 – The Savings Add Up Quickly
The best part about commercial solar leases as far as commercial building owners are concerned is they allow commercial buildings to offset their traditional commercial energy usage without having to make any upfront capital investments.
This means commercial building owners who use commercially available financing options like those offered by banks and credit unions can still take advantage of commercial solar panel technology without going into debt or waiting years they’ve saved up enough money to cover commercial solar leasing costs.
Commercial Solar Leasing Con #5 – Insurance Policies May Need To Change
One commercial solar leasing company heads up commercial building owners to consider is that commercial insurance policies may need to be adjusted in order for commercial solar panel systems to work as effectively as commercial building owners hope they will.
In other words, commercial insurance providers want existing commercial building owners to make sure commercial leases don’t conflict with their current commercial insurance coverage plan which means the terms and conditions of a commercial lease agreement should be checked out thoroughly before signing on the dotted line.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #6 – Commercial Building Owner Can Make an Impact Right Away
Perhaps one of the best things about installing a commercial solar system is that electric bill savings commercial building owners can expect commercial lease companies to offer them right away. What this means is commercial building owners who opt for commercial solar leasing don’t have to wait around long to see commercial solar panel systems pay off in terms of commercial property value and cost savings.
Commercial Solar Leasing Con #7 – Large Scale Commercial Energy Storage Can Be Expensive
Unfortunately, commercial buildings that need commercial energy storage will find their electricity bills rise significantly since commercial energy storage requires large-scale batteries which are both expensive and difficult to maintain given the fact standard commercial buildings aren’t designed with commercial battery rooms or other forms of traditional energy storage in mind.
This means commercial building owners will either need to invest more money into commercial rooftop space for storing their new electricity or simply continue using commercial energy storage systems that don’t physically impact commercial property space.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #8 – Commercial Solar Panel Financing Options Are Available
Those commercial building owners who want to take advantage of commercial solar panels without having to either invest any money upfront or wait around for commercial solar leasing company offers commercial building owners can still do so by investing in commercial solar leases and other financing options commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems offer.
This means commercial building owners can choose from a variety of different finance programs commercial solar installers offer which allows them to pay off the costs of their new commercial rooftop panel system over time with capital payments.
Commercial Solar Leasing Con #9 – Potential for Additional Fees
Just because a commercial lease agreement with a commercial solar panel installation commercial energy providers or commercial rooftop solar offering companies isn’t a copy of a commercial development agreement commercial real estate owners may be familiar with doesn’t mean there aren’t any additional commercial fees commercial building owners should be aware of before signing on the dotted line.
In fact, both commercial lease and finance companies who offer commercial solar panel systems to commercial building owners often charge leasing and finance fees that can add up quickly which means commercial building owners will need to keep this in mind when considering overall cost savings advantages and disadvantages between commercial leasing and making an upfront capital investment in their new commercial rooftop panel system.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #10 – Availability of Tax Credits for Commercial Property Owners
One final advantage of considering commercial leasing options commercial energy providers offer commercial building owners is commercial solar leasing arrangements can often be used to take advantage of commercial tax breaks commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems may qualify for depending on the state they live in.
This means commercial lease agreements commercial property owners enter into with commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems can allow them to deduct costs associated with their new commercial rooftop panel system from their taxes which makes the whole process even more attractive since it increases overall cost savings all at once.
Commercial solar lease programs Con #11 – Cannot Control System Operation
Although commercial solar leases are generally pretty good deals for certain types of businesses and commercial building owners who want to reduce their overall electricity bills without having to wait around for years to see these benefits manifest themselves, commercial solar leasing commercial property owners do have one major disadvantage compared to commercial rooftop solar panel system commercial building owners who invest the initial capital costs for commercial rooftop panel systems.
That’s because commercial property owners cannot control what commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar energy panels are doing with their electricity once it’s created.
This means commercial building owners will need to let commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems decide where their new renewable energy winds up which could mean anything from using it to power the business itself or selling it back to local electric utility companies.
Commercial solar lease programs Pro #12 – Availability of Federal Tax Credits for Commercial Property Owners
One final advantage of considering commercial leasing options commercial energy providers offer commercial building owners is federal tax breaks for commercial lease agreements can also be taken advantage of commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems may qualify for depending on the state they live in.
This means commercial lease agreements commercial property owners enter into with commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems can allow them to deduct costs associated with their new commercial rooftop panel system from their taxes which makes the whole process even more attractive since it increases overall cost savings all at once.
Commercial Solar Leasing Con #13 – No Incentive for Commercial Property Owner to Optimize System Output
Just because a commercial lease agreement commercial energy providers offer commercial building owners doesn’t mean commercial solar panels will produce less electricity overtime does not afford any incentive to commercial buildings that have these types of arrangements to actually optimize much power they’re generating by performing commercial upkeep and commercial renovations to ensure commercial rooftop panels are running as efficiently as possible.
Unless commercial property owners enjoy spending way more than they should on energy every month, the best commercial strategy for commercial building owners who want to save money with commercial solar panel systems is to do so by investing upfront costs and taking solar leasing off the table entirely since it will only be a burden in terms of high monthly lease payments and does not provide any incentive at all to optimize system output over time.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #14 – Reduces Commercial Building Owner’s Electricity Bills
As mentioned earlier, one major advantage of commercial solar leases for commercial property owners has to do with the fact commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems are able to reduce their overall commercial building owner’s commercial electricity bills commercial energy providers have the ability to do the same thing.
Commercial solar leasing commercial property owners to pay a fixed monthly commercial rate for commercial electricity they use from commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems instead of paying a fluctuating commercial rate based on supply and demand that will likely be much higher or much lower depending on what time of day it is.
This means commercial building owners who have entered into commercial leases with commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems can save money whenever their solar panels are generating electricity which is an important incentive for any business looking to reduce overall expenses as much as possible.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #15 – Allows Commercial Property Owner to Lower Electricity Costs without Having to Recourse Ownership
Another key commercial reason commercial solar leasing commercial property owners have chosen this commercial path to commercial rooftop solar panel systems has to do with the fact commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems allow commercial building owners a way to lower their overall commercial electricity costs without having to sell ownership of commercial buildings.
Commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems can give commercial building owners access to ways they can reduce their energy bills by lowering high monthly commercial payments for electricity from electric utility companies and cutting business expenses as much as possible which will result in higher profits during the years ahead even if the world economy takes a turn for the worse.
Commercial Solar Leasing Con #16 – Expensive since Potential Savings Have To Be Relatively High to Make Economic Sense
Although every major commercial reason commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems are able to commercial property owners commercial electricity bills commercial building owners have the potential to cut by entering into commercial leases with them has an important commercial benefit, it’s also true commercial solar leasing will likely not be of interest to any commercial company looking to reduce its overall energy consumption since cost savings calculators for this type of commercial arrangement reveal how expensive these types of agreements really are.
Commercial Solar Leasing Pro #17 – Provides Cash Flow Benefits to Commercial Leasing Companies
Finally, commercial solar leasing commercial property owners commercial electricity bills commercial building owners have an important commercial benefit to commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems (and the commercial companies leasing them) because it provides these commercial companies cash flow benefits.
Since commercial income is realized in monthly cash flows that arrive in bank accounts before any money has to be paid out for capital expenditures or operational expenditures, having access to a lower monthly bill directly from electric utility companies allows commercial companies to offer commercial rooftop solar panel systems and their commercial partners using these types of panels on their rooftops reduces the risk of running short on cash.
This can be very helpful when things are tight during recessions or other business downturns which will eventually happen again at some point in commercial history.
Commercial Solar Leasing Conclusion
Above are the 17 commercial solar leasing pros commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panel systems commercial building owners have to look at before signing on the dotted line.
Every commercial reason mentioned here has helped commercial companies who decide to go down this commercial path so it’s likely anyone else thinking about using commercial rooftop solar panels will consider them as well.
And even if only a few of these reasons do apply, it would be wise for any business that wants to avoid paying for its own capital expenditures or operational expenditures when possible always take into account every major reason available before making final commercial decisions.
This way they can make sure they are doing all they can to maximize their overall commercial operating profits during the years ahead which commercial solar leasing commercial property owners commercial electricity bills commercial building owners can help commercial companies offering commercial rooftop solar panels accomplish.
If you are interested in going solar, check out this solar calculator to see how much you can save.
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