Greater Manchester businesses are being encouraged to harness the potential of solar energy to save thousands of pounds on their energy bills.
A new campaign, led by the Bee Net Zero partnership, is calling on businesses to join the “Rooftop Revolution” and install solar photovoltaics (PV) on their premises.
Bee Net Zero’s solar landing page provides resources and information on everything businesses need to know about installing solar, including information on finance, suppliers, and case studies from businesses that have recently made the switch.
This includes a guide created by Bee Net Zero partner Green Economy to help businesses understand how solar can be a part of their net zero action plan. It aims to demystify some of the technical aspects of installing solar, while matching businesses with the right installer and helping them how to overcome common barriers.
For Greater Manchester’s thousands of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the investment could reduce annual energy bills by between 40% and 80% – saving the average SME between £4,000 and £11,000.
The typical payback period for a commercial solar system is now between four and six years and installations can help businesses reduce their annual carbon emissions by up to five tonnes.
Steve Connor, Green Lead for Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP), said: “For businesses considering installing solar on their premises – the time is now. It has enormous potential to help businesses save thousands on their energy bills while bringing down carbon emissions. Greater Manchester gets much more sunlight than people realise, and this offers businesses a low-cost, low-carbon source of electricity which can helps them save money and become more sustainable from the day of installation.
“Energy costs have risen considerably, but the payback period on a solar installation is only getting shorter. Through Bee Net Zero and its partners, including Electricity North West and Green Economy, all the resources to help your business install solar PV are in one place. The benefits are now too good to ignore – join the Rooftop Revolution and contact Bee Net Zero to explore how we can help.”
Greater Manchester has a science-based target to be carbon neutral by 2038. To achieve this, the city-region has plans to diversify its energy supply and increase local renewable energy generation.
Bee Net Zero is a partnership committed to making Greater Manchester the easiest place to become a net zero business. It unites a range of organisations and support programmes from across the city-region who are committed to making the transition as straightforward and cost-efficient as possible for businesses.