FRANCHISING

TO GO OFF THE GRID OR NOT? WE WEIGH UP THE PROS AND CONS OF SOLAR POWER FOR YOUR BUSINESSisn’t always available to businesses, as THE VIABILITY OF SOLAR POWER FOR SMALL BUSINESSES warranty: that means up to 17 years of well as space for storage batteries.

Solar power is becoming more free electricity. common, and there are some • Due to the demand for solar power excellent arguments for everyone • Johannesburg, for example, has an increasing, it may be expensive to to add solar power to their property, average of 3 182 hours of useful install due to a shortage of capable though there are a few considerations to sunlight (sunlight that can be installation teams. take into account. converted to electricity) per year (of a total 4 383 hours of sunlight per year). • The batteries and related equipment

Electrical power is generated through That is an average of 8:42 hours of require maintenance and replacement, the conversion of sunlight through sunlight per day - this means plenty of and may not be covered by insurance specialised panels made of photovoltaic sunlight hours that can be turned for wear and tear. They will also cells. It can be used right away, or stored into savings. need to be insured against theft and in batteries for use on demand. Let’s weather damage. look at the pros first: Cons • Many businesses rent the property Pros • The initial investment in buying, installing and connection solar panels and the long payback of a solar system can be a big risk if it is paid for by the • Solar power is cleaner and better is, for most people, prohibitively business owner and not the landlord. • for the environment, and it is always good for a business to follow positive economic trends. Solar geysers provide plenty of hot water, which will cut down on the dishwashing bill in terms of electricity use. expensive, though a landlord might be willing to absorb some of the cost in return for the long-term savings and value added to the building. A solar kit with inverters, batteries and LED lights can run upwards of R100 000. Bear in mind though that it will soon pay for itself in savings and retained business. Overall, though, there are a number of incredible benefits to adding solar power to your business. As more and more homes and business use solar, the technology will continue getting cheaper, and more companies will provide solar services. • It allows for self-sufficiency during • It requires roof space so that it has Go green, go cheap! load-shedding when paired with a direct sunlight and no shade, which home battery – when other businesses go off, yours stays on! • Quieter and cleaner than using a generator. • By using solar panels, business owners will see a significant reduction in their electricity bill. A system can pay itself off between 3 -7 years and the panels usually have a 20-year