A Guide to Commercial Energy Strategy in the UK

A commercial energy strategy is a site-wide plan that decides how a business buys, generates, stores, distributes and uses electricity, treating procurement, onsite generation, battery storage, electrical infrastructure and demand as one connected system rather than separate purchases. It matters because each decision constrains the others: a solar array sized without reference to grid capacity, or EV chargers installed without checking the incoming supply, can cost more than it saves.

Key Takeaways

• A commercial energy strategy connects procurement, onsite generation, storage, infrastructure and demand, so each investment supports the others.
• Half-hourly data is essential. Elexon expects all Great Britain meters to be settled half-hourly by May 2027, so detailed load profiles will be standard.
• UK commercial solar generated roughly 970kWh per kWp in 2025, the sunniest year on DESNZ’s record, with typical years nearer 800 to 1,000kWh per kWp.
• Battery storage adds value where there is surplus solar, high peak pricing, a constrained connection or a resilience need, and it is not automatically the right choice.
• Grid capacity often decides what is possible. G100 export limitation schemes can enable solar on constrained networks, and connection limits shape EV charging plans.
• Savings depend on self-consumption and avoided unit rates, not on headline percentages, so every business case should be built on site data.
• Lifecycle performance matters. Monitoring, planned maintenance and repowering protect output over a system’s 25-year-plus life.

What is a commercial energy strategy?

A commercial energy strategy is a structured plan for how an organisation sources and manages electricity across one or more sites, covering what it buys from the grid, what it generates and stores onsite, how its electrical infrastructure is sized, and how demand is controlled. The aim is lower cost, lower carbon and better resilience, achieved through decisions that reinforce rather than undermine each other.

Most businesses arrive at energy decisions one technology at a time. A solar quote arrives, then an EV charging request from the fleet team, then a supply contract renewal. Treated separately, each looks reasonable; treated together, they often reveal conflicts in capacity, timing and budget.

A complete strategy considers five layers together:

The table shows why sequencing matters. Infrastructure limits what generation and EV charging can achieve, demand data determines whether storage pays, and procurement terms decide what onsite generation is worth.

What is commercial renewable energy?

Commercial renewable energy is electricity generated from renewable sources, most commonly solar PV, for use by businesses and public sector organisations, either onsite (behind the meter) or through offsite contracts such as corporate PPAs. For most UK commercial sites, onsite solar PV is the most practical generation technology because it uses existing roofs, car parks or land.

Onsite renewable generation reduces the volume of electricity a business buys from its supplier during daylight hours. It does not remove the need for a grid connection, which still supplies night-time and winter demand.

Why does a commercial energy strategy matter now?

Business electricity remains expensive, network capacity is increasingly contested and new rules are making consumption data more granular, so unplanned energy investments carry more risk than they did five years ago.

According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Quarterly Energy Prices release of September 2026, the average electricity price paid by non-domestic consumers in Q2 2026 was 24.51 pence per kWh including Climate Change Levy, a 2.0% increase on the same quarter of 2025. Manufacturing consumers paid an average of 17.4 pence per kWh excluding CCL, up 4.0% year on year.

Three structural changes also shape commercial energy decisions:

• Half-hourly settlement: Elexon is moving all Great Britain electricity meters to market-wide half-hourly settlement, with completion due in May 2027.
• Grid connection reform: the National Energy System Operator (NESO) published a reformed connections pipeline in December 2025, prioritising projects that are ready to build.
• Rising demand for capacity: Ofgem reported that contracted demand connection offers rose from 41GW in November 2024 to 125GW in June 2025, driven largely by data centre projects.

How should a business understand its electricity consumption?

A business should start with at least 12 months of half-hourly consumption data, which shows how much electricity the site uses in every 30-minute period and reveals its baseload, peak demand, seasonal variation and overall load profile. Every later decision on solar sizing, battery capacity and grid upgrades depends on this data.

What is half-hourly data?

Half-hourly (HH) data is a record of electricity consumption for each of the 48 half-hour periods in a day, collected by a smart or advanced meter and used for billing and settlement. It is usually available from the electricity supplier, the meter operator or an energy management platform.

Elexon reported in June 2026 that more than 11.3 million meter migrations had been completed and a third of Britain’s metering systems were already operating under half-hourly settlement. Once implementation completes in May 2027, Elexon expects to process up to 500 billion half-hourly readings each year.

Which consumption metrics matter most?

Baseload, peak demand, seasonal demand and load profile are the four metrics that determine how well onsite generation and storage will match a site’s needs.

Which type of commercial solar PV suits your site?

The right commercial solar PV format depends on the space a site has available: rooftop solar suits structurally sound roofs, ground-mounted solar suits sites with spare land, and solar carports suit large car parks, particularly where EV charging is planned. Many larger sites combine two or more formats.

Rooftop systems are usually the lowest-cost route where a roof can carry the load and has decades of life remaining. Ground mounts make sense where land is available near the point of use, and carports make sense where a car park is the largest unused surface. EvoEnergy’s guide to rooftop vs ground-mounted solar covers that comparison in more depth.

How much electricity can commercial solar generate?

In the UK, each kilowatt-peak (kWp) of solar capacity typically generates somewhere between 800 and 1,000kWh a year, depending on location, orientation, shading and the weather in that year.

DESNZ’s Regional renewable electricity in 2025 reported an average UK solar PV load factor of 11.1% in 2025, with England at 11.2%. That equates to roughly 970kWh per kWp over the year (0.111 x 8,760 hours). DESNZ also noted that 2025 was the sunniest year in its time series, so a typical year will usually be lower.

For comparison, DESNZ’s Feed-in Tariff load factor analysis found a median solar load factor of 9.2% for 2024/25 across more than 285,000 mostly small-scale installations, equivalent to around 800kWh per kWp. A site-specific yield model is the only reliable way to estimate output for a particular roof or field, and EvoEnergy’s Solar Output Calculator offers a first estimate.

What planning rules apply to commercial solar?

In England, most rooftop solar on non-domestic buildings and solar canopies over non-domestic car parks can be installed under permitted development rights, subject to conditions and a prior approval application, while ground-mounted solar usually needs full planning permission.

• Rooftop solar: the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2023 removed the 1MW capacity cap on non-domestic rooftop solar from 21 December 2023.
• Solar carports: Class OA of Part 14 of the General Permitted Development Order, in force since 21 December 2023, allows solar canopies on non-domestic off-street parking. Canopies must not exceed 4 metres in height, must be more than 10 metres from the curtilage of a dwelling, and cannot be within the curtilage of a listed building.
• Ground mount: larger schemes generally go through local planning. The Solar Roadmap notes that the threshold at which solar enters the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime has been raised from 50MW to 100MW.

Planning rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and listed buildings, scheduled monuments and conservation areas carry additional restrictions. A planning check belongs in the feasibility stage, not after design.

Does a commercial solar system need battery storage?

No. A commercial solar system does not need battery storage to work, and for many sites with strong daytime demand, solar alone pays back faster per pound invested. A battery is worth adding when a site regularly generates more solar than it uses, faces high peak-time charges, has a constrained grid connection, or needs backup for critical loads.

Battery energy storage creates value by moving electricity from one time to another. That value depends entirely on the difference between what the stored energy would otherwise have been worth and what it displaces.

What can a commercial battery do?

A commercial battery can increase solar self-consumption, reduce peak-time imports, manage grid constraints, provide resilience and, in some cases, earn revenue from grid services.

The most valuable batteries usually combine several of these uses, a practice known as revenue stacking. A battery that performs only one role often struggles to justify its capital cost.

When is a battery not the right answer?

A battery is usually not the right first investment where a site already consumes almost all of its solar output, has little evening demand, or has no meaningful price difference between daytime and peak-period electricity.

In those cases, the battery cycles too rarely or saves too little per cycle to cover its cost. Batteries also add fire safety, ventilation, space and maintenance requirements, and resilience functions require specific design, so a standard battery does not automatically act as backup power.

A sensible approach is to model the site with and without storage using half-hourly data, and to design the solar system so a battery can be added later if conditions change. EvoEnergy’s analysis of solar panels only vs solar with battery storage sets out the financial comparison in detail.

How do grid connections and electrical infrastructure affect your options?

A site’s grid connection sets hard limits on how much electricity it can import and export, so it often determines the maximum size of a solar array, whether a battery is needed, and how many EV chargers can be installed. These limits are defined in the connection agreement with the local DNO.

Two figures matter most. The Maximum Import Capacity (MIC), sometimes called the Authorised Supply Capacity, is the most power the site can draw from the network, and the Maximum Export Capacity (MEC) is the most it can send back.

What is an export limitation?

An export limitation is a restriction, agreed with the DNO, on how much power a site can export to the distribution network, enforced by a control system that reduces generation or diverts it to storage if exports approach the agreed limit.

DNOs impose export limits where the local network cannot accept more generation without reinforcement. The technical requirements for these control systems are set out in Energy Networks Association (ENA) Engineering Recommendation G100, which covers Customer Export or Import Limitation Schemes.

SP Energy Networks describes G100 as the standard for “alternative” connections where control equipment automatically reduces generator output at certain times. In practice, an export-limited connection is often the difference between a project going ahead now and waiting years for network reinforcement.

Can businesses install solar without exporting to the grid?

Yes. Businesses can install solar on a zero-export or export-limited basis, where a G100-compliant control system ensures the site never sends more than an agreed amount, or nothing at all, back to the network.

Zero-export designs work best where daytime baseload is consistently higher than solar output. Where it is not, the system curtails generation at times of low demand, which reduces the energy delivered and lengthens payback, unless a battery or controllable load absorbs the surplus.

The DNO still needs to be notified or to approve the connection, because the solar system operates in parallel with the network even if it never exports. Sizing an export-limited system against half-hourly demand data avoids paying for panels whose output will be routinely curtailed.

What is the difference between G98, G99 and G100?

G98 and G99 set the rules for connecting generation to the distribution network by size, while G100 sets the rules for systems that limit import or export.

Almost every commercial solar system falls under G99. Electricity North West’s G99 guidance notes that G99 is a legal requirement for certain generators connecting on or after 27 April 2019, and its G98 guidance sets out the 16A per phase threshold.

How is connection reform changing the grid queue?

Grid connections reform has replaced the old “first come, first served” queue with a system that prioritises projects that are ready to build and needed for the 2030 Clean Power target. Ofgem approved NESO’s reform proposals on 15 April 2025, and NESO published the reformed connections pipeline in December 2025.

For commercial rooftop solar, the most relevant change came through the Solar Taskforce. According to the DESNZ Solar Roadmap (June 2025), Ofgem approved an increase in the Transmission Impact Assessment threshold from 1MW to 5MW in England and Wales in May 2025, meaning most commercial rooftop projects no longer need a transmission-level assessment.

Demand connections remain under pressure. Ofgem’s July 2026 consultation on demand connections reform noted that around 73GW of data centre demand sits in the queue, which is relevant to any business planning a significant increase in import capacity for EV charging or electrification.

What role do HV and LV upgrades play?

High voltage (HV) and low voltage (LV) infrastructure upgrades, such as new transformers, switchgear and distribution boards, are often needed to accommodate solar, batteries and EV charging safely, and they can unlock capacity that the existing equipment cannot carry.

Many commercial sites run on transformers and switchgear installed decades ago, sized for a building that did not have EV chargers or onsite generation. A site survey of the incoming supply, protection settings and spare ways should come before any technology is specified. EvoEnergy’s HV/LV infrastructure service covers transformer and switchgear replacement, upgrades and capacity increases.

What is a smart grid and how does energy management coordinate site assets?

A smart grid, at site level, is a control system that monitors and coordinates generation, storage, EV charging and site demand in real time, deciding when to use, store, export or limit electricity to keep within grid limits and minimise cost. It turns separate assets into a single managed system.

Without coordination, each asset follows its own logic. The battery may discharge while the EV chargers draw from the grid, or chargers may push the site over its import limit during the evening peak.

A site-level smart grid or energy management system typically handles:

• Load management: throttling EV charging or non-critical loads to stay within the MIC.
• Export control: enforcing G100 export limits by curtailing solar or charging the battery.
• Tariff optimisation: charging storage when electricity is cheapest and discharging during peak bands.
• Monitoring and reporting: recording generation, consumption and savings for carbon and ESG reporting.

The benefit is often measured in avoided infrastructure cost. If controls let a site add EV chargers within its existing connection, the business may avoid or defer a costly supply upgrade. EvoEnergy’s article on building energy management systems explains how wider building controls fit alongside this.

Why should EV charging be planned alongside electrical capacity?

EV charging should be planned alongside electrical capacity because chargers are large, concentrated loads that can quickly exceed a site’s import capacity, especially when many vehicles charge at the same time at the end of the working day.

Planning EV charging as part of the wider strategy allows a business to:

• Size the connection correctly before committing to chargers, rather than discovering a capacity shortfall during installation.
• Use load management to share available capacity across chargers.
• Pair charging with solar carports and storage so daytime generation and stored energy supply part of the charging demand.
• Install ducting and capacity for future chargers during the first phase of works.

Government support is available but time-limited. According to GOV.UK, the Workplace Charging Scheme provides up to £500 per socket for installations completed from 1 April 2026, for up to 40 sockets, and has been extended for a final year until 31 March 2027. Eligibility conditions apply, so businesses should check current guidance before applying.

How much can businesses save with commercial renewable energy?

Savings from commercial renewable energy depend on how much onsite generation the business uses, the unit rate it avoids, the installed cost, the finance route and long-term performance, so no single percentage applies to every site. Any figure quoted without a site’s consumption data should be treated as an estimate.

The Solar Roadmap cites research for the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) estimating that rooftop solar could reduce warehouse electricity costs by 40 to 80% a year. That range is wide precisely because the variables below differ so much between buildings.

What determines commercial solar payback?

Commercial solar payback is determined by annual generation, the share of that generation used onsite, the value of each kWh displaced or exported, the installed cost, finance terms and ongoing operating costs.

Self-consumption is usually the most important variable, because a kWh used onsite is typically worth several times more than a kWh exported. The avoided unit rate also needs care: fixed standing and capacity charges do not fall when solar generates, so the average pence per kWh on a bill overstates the saving.

What other financial factors apply?

Business rates relief, export payments and the choice of finance model can all change the economics of a commercial energy project.

• Business rates: in England, eligible plant and machinery used for onsite renewable generation and storage is exempt from business rates from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2035, under the Valuation for Rating (Plant and Machinery) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.
• Export payments: Ofgem’s Smart Export Guarantee requires larger licensed suppliers to offer export tariffs to eligible generators up to 5MW, with the rate set by the supplier and always above zero.
• Finance: businesses can fund projects through CAPEX, a Power Purchase Agreement, lease to own or a green loan. Each changes upfront cost, ownership and who benefits from the savings.
• Tax: capital allowances treatment varies by asset and business, so finance teams should take advice from their accountant before modelling post-tax returns.

How do you assess whether your site is suitable?

A site is suitable for commercial renewable energy when its roof or land can host the system, its electrical infrastructure and grid connection can accommodate it, its consumption profile can use the output, and planning and operational constraints allow installation. A feasibility study tests each of these before design begins.

Lease terms catch many projects late. The Solar Roadmap identifies complex commercial lease agreements, which often place repairing obligations on tenants, as a barrier to rooftop solar on leased industrial and commercial buildings.

How are commercial renewable energy projects delivered?

Commercial renewable energy projects typically move through seven stages: feasibility, design, grid application, procurement and construction, commissioning, monitoring and maintenance. Each stage produces information the next one relies on.

EvoEnergy delivers these stages in-house through its consultancy, installation, aftercare and optimisation services. A single point of accountability reduces the risk of gaps between design assumptions and what is built.

How long does a commercial solar project take?

A commercial solar project’s overall timeline is usually set by the grid application, planning position and equipment lead times rather than by installation itself, which is often the shortest phase.

The DESNZ Solar Roadmap notes that a large-scale solar project can be constructed in as little as a year and that rooftop solar is quicker still. In practice, timelines extend where a DNO requires network studies or reinforcement, where planning permission rather than permitted development is needed, or where HV equipment such as transformers has long manufacturing lead times.

Businesses with a fixed deadline, such as a budget year-end or a lease event, should start feasibility and the grid application early. Those two steps are the hardest to compress.

How should energy assets be maintained and optimised?

Energy assets should be monitored continuously, maintained on a planned schedule, repaired promptly and periodically reviewed for upgrades, because small faults left undetected can quietly erode output and returns over a 25-year life.

Solar panels degrade slowly. The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), reviewing around 2,000 measured degradation rates, found a median of 0.5% per year for modules, with a long tail of lower-reliability products raising the average to 0.8%. Faults such as tripped inverters, failed strings or soiling can cost far more output than degradation if nobody notices them.

A complete lifecycle plan includes:

• Monitoring: comparing actual output with expected yield to flag underperformance quickly.
• Planned preventative maintenance (PPM): inspections, electrical testing, thermographic surveys, cleaning and checks on fixings and cabling.
• Repairs: fast response for inverter, string and communication faults.
• Repowering: replacing ageing inverters or modules with more efficient equipment, often within the existing grid connection.
• Optimisation: reviewing controls, tariffs and battery strategy as the site’s demand changes.

What should your next step be?

The next step is a feasibility assessment that reviews your half-hourly data, site infrastructure and grid connection before recommending any technology, so your investment is sized to how your business actually uses energy.

From solar rooftops, carports and ground mounts to battery storage, HV/LV infrastructure, EV charging and smart grid controls, EvoEnergy delivers integrated systems from first survey to long-term aftercare.

Ready to build a commercial energy strategy around your site’s real data? Make an enquiry with EvoEnergy to arrange a feasibility assessment, or explore our consultancy services to see how we plan integrated energy systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a commercial energy strategy only for large businesses?

No. The same principles apply to an SME with a single site, although the analysis is simpler. Any business with meaningful daytime electricity use, a roof or car park, and plans for EV charging benefits from considering those decisions together.

Can a business with a short lease install solar?

It can, but the lease needs careful review. Options include agreeing landlord consent with provisions for removal or transfer at lease end, a landlord-funded installation with an onsite PPA, or a finance structure aligned to the lease term.

Will solar keep working in a power cut?

Not by default. Grid-connected inverters shut down during a network outage for safety reasons, so backup operation requires a battery and switching equipment designed specifically for that purpose.

How much roof space does commercial solar need?

It depends on panel size and layout, roof type and access requirements, so a site survey is needed for an accurate figure. As a planning reference, the Solar Roadmap cites UKWA estimates that 75 million square metres of roof on the UK’s largest warehouses could support around 15GW of solar.

Does half-hourly settlement affect my energy costs?

Half-hourly settlement makes it easier for suppliers to price electricity by time of use. Businesses that can shift demand, or generate and store their own power during expensive periods, are best placed to benefit.

Should we install solar or improve efficiency first?

Efficiency measures such as LED lighting and controls reduce demand permanently and are usually considered first. However, they also change the load profile, so it makes sense to assess both together and size the solar system against post-efficiency demand.