Many business owners are currently grappling with the need to reduce monthly outgoings while also striving to reduce their carbon footprints. But are there any long-term ways of achieving this?
According to Gloucestershire-based renewable energy specialist, Immersa, businesses wanting to take control of their energy usage, save money for years to come and become more environmentally friendly could consider installing a solar-powered system.
Immersa was founded in 2015 as a renewable energy consultancy, providing businesses with options and advice on how to go green and save money. Seven years on, it has 40 staff, teams of specialist engineers and a place on The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list.
It not only provides detailed and bespoke quotes and advice to businesses, but installs solar panels, battery storage systems and electric vehicle chargers, all using cutting-edge technologies allowing the user to track every trace of energy consumption down to the last penny.
Solar panels, together with battery storage and state-of-the-art monitoring systems, allow a business to go from having no idea how, when or where it's consuming energy, to being able to precisely track each kilowatt of power in real time.
Michael Lamerton, director of sales at the Dursley-headquartered Immersa, said: 'One of the first things we do is look at how much energy a business is using, what its consumption is and how it's using energy, so we can design a system accordingly that’s best for that particular business's needs. It's not a one size fits all method — it's a 1-2-1 survey and consultation.
'A business's energy usage is like an individual fingerprint — no two are the same. Everybody’s energy consumption will be slightly different. We all think we use energy in the same way, but we don’t. We look at exactly how you’re using energy and design a system that’s going to get you the maximum savings and the shortest payback.'
Admittedly, solar panels are an investment — but they are also an outlay that you could see returned in just three years. In simple terms, what your business invests in the installation of a solar-powered system, you will save on your electricity bills in a very short space of time.
Immersa is partnered with AlphaESS UK — the approved UK partner for leading global energy storage solution provider AlphaESS. AlphaESS has supplied over 100,000 systems globally, with over 6,000 operating in the UK.
It uses LiFePO4 batteries to ensure Immersa's customers benefit from premium electrical characteristics while maintaining the highest safety standards, making it one of the best technologies available to the renewable energy industry. AlphaESS storage solution products also come with a robust technical support and after-care service for total peace of mind.
Lamerton explained: 'The online monitoring system, AlphaCloud, is a web-based service connected to your business's solar system so you can see in real time exactly what's happening — it literally changes every second.
'Suddenly you’ve gone from 'flying blind' to being able to see exactly what your panels are generating, what the status of the battery is and what the import and export is to the grid, so you can make properly informed decisions about how and when to use the energy and how to maximise the savings you’re getting from the solar panels and the battery.
'One of the game-changing aspects of battery storage is the fact you're not just charging them from the panels — when the sun isn't out, you can charge them from the grid and they retain that energy to use later.'
This means a battery can be charged at cheaper off-peak times when electricity costs are reduced, and then used at peak rate times when electricity is more expensive.
So, not only can a business start to make changes to, and control, how and where electricity is used, but it can also make real gains in reducing its carbon emissions and overall impact on the environment.
