There’s no shortage of reasons why it’s a great idea for your business to switch to solar for its power supply. For one thing, there’s the fact that the UK government wants to secure 3% of the UK’s energy supply from renewables by 2020, and are likely to continue offering incentives for UK businesses to reach this target. But the advantages don’t stop there! Here are just a couple more reasons why you should consider switching to solar panels.

It Reduces Your Business’s Carbon Footprint

Perhaps the most obvious advantage of switching to solar is that it makes your business greener. Authoritative reports point to switching to renewable power as the quickest and most cost-effective way of cutting your carbon footprint. The benefits of this are manifold – not only does this ultimately make quality of life better for everyone on the planet we all share, but this kind of altruism does wonders for your public image. It also gives you a helpful leg up in meeting investors’ sustainability criteria, or standards set by government schemes like the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme.

It’s Not As Expensive As You Might Think

In the early days of solar energy, cost could be a prohibitive factor for a lot of firms. But we’re talking years ago – today, solar power and other renewable sources of energy have advanced to a point where finances are rarely an obstacle, especially with funding schemes like the 10k Energy Efficiency Grant for SMEs.

At Low Carbon Energy, we work in close partnership with the Carbon Trust, who have estimated that investing between 1-2% of your energy spend in energy saving initiatives can ultimately save you up to 10% on your energy bill. That’s between five and ten times what you spent!

If you need some real-life examples, IKEA, Unilever and LEGO are all multinational companies who’ve put significant time and resources into ‘going green’, and they’ve lot literally millions in savings to show for it. IKEA says it’s saved €133 (£115m) through energy efficiency measures since 2010, while Unilever says it’s saved £280m since 2008. Definitely numbers not to be sniffed at!

You Can Actively Profit From Green Initiatives

As you’ve no doubt concluded from those staggering amounts above, after a certain point energy savings turn into active profits. With every passing year advances in solar technology is becoming a more and more financially viable alternative to traditional energy sources, further shortening the period before your business can start profiting from selling your energy back to the grid via the Feed-In Tariff.

Solar Energy Guarantees Your Business Long-Term Energy Security

Complete energy independence is looking like a more and more attainable goal for businesses with every passing year, and some of the largest corporations are already breaking that ground. As we’ve noted recently, LEGO has already achieved full energy independence, and IKEA aims to follow them by 2020 at the latest. Apart from the fantastic environmental benefits, this effectively results in cost free energy for LEGO’s business, and very soon for IKEA’s. Part of the way IKEA are working towards this target is by installing solar panels on the roof of 10 of their retailers. Let’s not forget either that these are not small buildings – as you’ll appreciate if you’ve ever gone shopping in one! It’s just another example of the amazing rewards brought by solar panels for business.

One final thing – as we touched upon above, there’s no doubt that green initiatives do wonders for your company’s corporate social responsibility. This makes you seem more compassionate and therefore trustworthy to your customers, ultimately having an excellent impact on your bottom line.

Visit our solar panels for business page to find out how your organisation can enjoy these enviable advantages, or give us a call on 08456 808 963.

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