Big roof, small load?
A dry-goods warehouse can have acres of roof and a modest electric bill. Unless exports are credited well — and under most commercial tariffs they aren’t credited at retail beyond net-metering limits — the right system is sized to on-site use, not to the roof. Cold storage, manufacturing and fleet charging change that picture quickly.
Utility territory drives commercial rates
Commercial buildings here may be on Xcel, United Power or CORE, and each has its own commercial rate structure and demand charges. CORE net-meters commercial systems up to 25 kW; larger ones follow its qualifying-facility process. We start with 12 months of bills and interval data.
Fleet charging and storage
Distribution operations moving to electric vans or yard trucks can see demand charges spike. Pairing solar with commercial storage and managed charging is often what keeps fleet electrification from raising the bill. As of September 2026, storage keeps federal §48E eligibility well beyond solar’s 2027 placed-in-service deadline — check with your CPA.
FAQ
Questions we hear
Our warehouse roof is huge but our bill is small. Is solar worth it?
Maybe not at full roof size. We size to your on-site use; if the load is small, a smaller system often pays back better than covering the roof.
Which utility serves our Commerce City or Brighton facility?
It could be Xcel or United Power; the lines don’t follow city limits. The bill tells you, and it changes the math.
Can solar offset electric fleet charging costs?
Partly. Solar covers energy; storage and managed charging control the demand spikes that fleet charging creates.
What’s the federal deadline for commercial solar?
As of September 2026, solar must generally be placed in service by December 31, 2027 unless construction began by July 4, 2026; storage has a longer runway. Confirm with your tax advisor.