The domestic Solar market seems to have gone quiet since the retail energy suppliers all dropped their electricity buy back prices. This was always going to happen, although some adopters of solar energy thought it a way to make money and not just a smart solution to effective energy management.
For electrical contractors the serious market for solar installations is still in commercial installations. New Zealand will follow international trends in solar energy, it just a matter of time.
In the US commercial solar is going gang busters as businesses use or lease their massive roof spaces to install solar power systems and make serious reductions in energy costs.

Solar for commercial buildings makes economic sense in so many ways

• Roof space is large and easy to access for installation
• Orientation of PV panels to face north is normally much easier
• Solar shading from trees and neighboring properties is seldom an issue
• The day time electrical load is fairly constant - lighting or Aircon
• Hours of operation align with best sunlight periods, summer and winter
• Business can claim a 16% PA depreciation on the installation
• A 5 or 10 kW system is going to meet a large portion of the daytime load

One of the reasons commercial solar is not flying in NZ is that electrical contractors are not actively presenting compelling energy management solutions to their clients.
An energy management proposal that is going to make a CEO or Financial Director take notice must have real data and financial information that is irrefutable and presented in a clear, concise way so that non technical people can fully comprehend.
For electrical contractors who have strong relationships with longterm commercial building clients, there is an opportunity to provide an energy study, referred to an Energy Sub Monitoring. As a first step
Energy Sub Monitoring data is the key in any energy proposal. If nothing else, will give the client some extremely useful insights in to their daily energy usage and where savings can be made.

Solar energy for commercial buildings is financially viable now and is a real opportunity for many electrical contractors who have an eye on the future.

So how can Active help you the contractor in these areas? Well start by talking to your local branch manager to give an understanding of the project. They will then make arrangements for the right people from Active and our supply partners to contact you and provide advice, assistance or expertise to help you get going.

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