FAQ SOLAR

Solar power is energy that is converted to electricity by sunlight, through solar panels. The energy produced by solar power can be used as a clean alternative source of energy to run your business.

With Solar as a Service from UrbanVolt, there is no upfront cost to you. We install the entire solar system and take care of all the costs associated with the project. All you do is agree to purchase the clean energy we generate at a fixed monthly cost for the contract term.

Solar energy will generally be 40% less than you currently pay for electricity from your fossil fuel-based utility provider. Building size, power requirements and commitment terms will determine your price per kWh.

Solar panels usually last between 20-30 years. UrbanVolt will ensure that the solar panels are as efficient as possible to produce as much power as possible, and will take care of all maintenance and upgrades where necessary. UrbanVolt also offer monitoring software to our PPA customers and this real time data provides full transparency on panel performance.

A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a long-term electricity supply agreement between two parties. Historically a PPA was reserved for multimillion-pound-generating manufacturers, but UrbanVolt has removed the barriers and to make PPAs accessible for all.
The benefit of a PPA is that you lock in a fixed energy rate for the long-term, removing the risk of escalating energy prices, giving you energy independence and allowing your company to save up to 30% on your energy bill, as well as avoiding CO2 emissions.

Our terms are flexible and range from 10 to 30 years. Our customers typically lock in their rate for the longest term possible to remove the risk of volatile prices. Some of our first customers who were really looking ahead signed into 30 year agreements with fixed rates as low as £0.10 per kWh. It’s always a good idea to lock in fixed rates for energy!

You can either extend the agreement at a pre-agreed discount to published energy rates at the time or terminate the agreement and we will remove the panels.

UrbanVolt owns the solar panels on your roof if you choose to go with the solar as a service offer. This means that UrbanVolt are responsible for the financing, installation, maintenance and cleaning of the solar panels for the duration of your agreement. If the customer chooses to terminate the agreement, UrbanVolt will remove the panels from the roof.

If a customer chooses to purchase upfront, they own the panels and all responsibility.

As our model is capital intensive, the minimum required roof space is generally 10,000 square feet or a minimum consumption of 10,000kwh per month. However, we will evaluate each business case to see if it is suitable for solar power. We can also work with smaller sites on a multi-site basis.

The orientation of the roof determines how much power is produced and south-facing is best. Solar panels will generate energy on almost all roof spaces but the output may be less in some locations.

If your roof needs maintenance in the near term, you should complete it before you begin your solar installation.

No! The great news is in 2022, planning permission for solar projects was scrapped. Unless you are located in a Solar Safeguarding Zones where rooftop limitations on solar panel installations apply, to mitigate the potential impact of glint and glare near airports, aerodromes and other sites with helipads like hospitals.

The installation process is straightforward but the attachment method varies by roof type. The universal components are the panels, inverters, mounting points, and a racking system to which the panels are attached.

At UrbanVolt, we know running your business is your priority. That is why we install our solar panels with as little disruption to your business as possible. The average project timeframe (from signing to installation) is usually between 3-4 months. This can move quicker or be delayed depending on information supplied to UrbanVolt.

Please note that the larger the project, the longer the lead time on the equipment.

We need 12 month’s half-hourly data and your latest energy bill. This information will allow our sales team to qualify your business & prepare a bespoke proposal.