Spirit Energy's 695 kWp installation at Philip Dennis Foodservice in Oxfordshire, split across a distribution warehouse and a cold store, is projected to save the business more than £85,000 a year on electricity with a five year payback and an IRR above 23%. Cold storage suits solar unusually well because refrigeration runs continuously, so almost every unit generated is consumed on site rather than exported at a lower rate. Self-consumption, not roof orientation or panel efficiency, is what drives commercial solar returns.
Across the UK, businesses are under growing pressure to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) currently prohibit the letting of commercial properties below an EPC rating of E, with government plans to raise the minimum to B by 2030. For property owners and facility managers, this shift is not just regulatory - it’s financial. Buildings with low EPC scores are becoming harder to lease, insure, or refinance.
Topics: Environment, EPC rating
