Locally generated renewable energy plays an important part in delivering on the City of Melbourne’s zero net emissions vision and makes sense for business.
Installing solar panels lowers electricity bills, demonstrates your organisation’s commitment to sustainability, and reduces reliance on the carbon-intensive electricity grid. Depending on your business type, a solar investment can also save you money.
Benefits for your business
Benefits include:
- reduced energy running costs through clean technology solar power that improves the bottom line and combats the rising cost of electricity
- a high average return on investment of around 15 per cent with a four to five year payback
- measurable, positive environmental impact
- happier staff and customers through the promotion of your businesses solar action
- improved brand, reputation and differentiation of your company's position.
Funding
If you are a commercial business operating in the City of Melbourne, you can access finance to install solar panels using the innovative environmental upgrade agreement (EUA) funding model. This allows property owners to access environmental upgrade finance through the lenders participating in the program.
Sustainable Melbourne Fund can facilitate the environmental upgrade finance and assist applicants to understand the commercial opportunities of using an EUA. Alternatively, funding is also available from Sustainable Melbourne Fund for commercial business owners and owners corporations.
The fund’s investment program provides loans of up to $2 million for 10 years' maximum repayment period, for projects that minimise impact on the environment and deliver improved economic outcomes for Melbourne and greater Victoria.
Sustainable Melbourne Fund provided finance to assist a small business in Melbourne install solar and make repayments through council rates.
Visit
Sustainable Melbourne Fund for information on the loans and accessing EUA funding.
Solar resources
In addition to our solar power hints and tips below, we have compiled a
Planning for solar guide which includes information about planning, building and development considerations when thinking of installing solar panels on your property. We have also produced some
case studies of solar-powered commercial buildings.
The Clean Energy Council has developed a
consumer guide to going solar for your business. This guide contains information about technologies, how much energy you can expect to produce, and issues to consider when installing solar panels.