Guide to starting a commercial solar company

Key overview: How sparky Nicholas Sipple started his commercial solar company

• Find the market gap: Nicholas spotted a gap in the market with rising energy costs making solar a more attractive investment for businesses – who in most cases, can pay their solar systems back in three to seven years.
• Build on your skillset: Already working as an electrician, his entrepreneurial streak drove Nicholas to consider building his own business.
• Grow and expand your business: His company SIPENERGY has grown from residential work to major commercial projects on printing facilities, hospitals, government projects and car yards.
• Know your market: Rather than simply installing a few panels, Nicholas says commercial systems projects typically involve structural assessments on roofs, electrical engineering, additional approvals and longer project lead times.
• Seek the right advice and expertise: To make the transition to commercial solar easier, he recommends bringing in the right advice and expertise, and upskilling with training in courses and regulations for commercial solar.

The energy opportunity

With the days getting longer and warmer, businesses have a bigger opportunity to generate their own power and make potential savings with solar. Coupled with rising energy costs and lower barriers to solar installation, the economics for commercial solar stack up even more.

Nicholas Sipple, Founder and Director of commercial and residential solar provider SIPENERGY,

has seen the shift towards solar firsthand. Since launching in 2018, he’s helped businesses move

from grid electricity to generating their own power, using PowerBay* products to help capitalise on the benefit a solar system can offer. Nicholas believes solar presents a strong opportunity for electricians, given the crossover in skills and knowledge. “Honestly, you’d be mad not to be looking into it as an electrician at the moment – it’s hot, it’s raring,” he says.

Tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves and a mask, for example) when required on the job. Always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

Why more businesses are switching to solar

Prices have risen substantially in recent years and, because most commercial operations

have significant daytime energy consumption, power costs can quickly eat into profits. By producing

energy with solar, businesses can offset some of that demand and cut their power bills. According to Nicholas, the payback period is now much shorter, too, as rising energy costs make solar a more attractive investment.

“Prices keep rising, kilowatt rates are more per day, your power bills are rising – what it does is it makes your investments smarter,” Nicholas says. “In most cases, people can pay [their solar systems] back in three to seven years.”

How Nicholas went from sparky to solar entrepreneur

For Nicholas, the growing appetite for commercial solar was impossible to ignore. Already working

as an electrician, his entrepreneurial streak drove him to consider building his own business. That

electrical expertise made moving into solar a logical next step, and he also saw a major

gap in the market.

“I saw a gap from being an electrician and those electricians actually having sales teams,” he explains. “A lot of the big companies have just sales teams, no electricians and they sub-contract everything out.”

How to take solar to a commercial scale

In the years since launch, SIPENERGY has grown from residential work to major commercial projects

spanning printing facilities, hospitals, government projects and car yards.

But commercial work functions very differently from residential. Rather than simply installing a few

panels, Nicholas says commercial systems are much more substantial, particularly for businesses with high energy consumption.

Projects typically involve structural assessments on roofs, electrical engineering, additional approvals and longer project lead times.

“You’re essentially creating a grid on commercial roofs,” Nicholas says. “So, making sure all your

electrical is right, you get the right engineers, and that before we even start the job, everything can work.”

What is Nicholas’s advice for fellow sparkies?

Thinking of making the switch? Here’s his advice:

• Know what you’re getting into: Commercial solar has many more moving parts than residential. “There’s a bit more risk in it, but you eliminate those risks by having certain procedures in place,” he says.
• Don’t try to know everything yourself: Bringing in the right advice and expertise can make the transition easier. “Find the right people that will help you and help you learn as well,” Nicholas says.
• Undertake the right training: Nicholas suggests looking into relevant courses and regulations for commercial solar to gain the knowledge required.

Why use PowerBay* energy products?

For Nicholas, PowerBay’s range of solar panels, mounting rails and inverters fits his selection criteria.

• High efficiency: Designed to maximise energy generation from available roof space and capture light on both sides of the panel.
• High reliability: Built for long-term performance and backed by product warranties.
• Excellent rear-side power generation: It can capture additional light reaching the rear of the panel and reflecting from surfaces underneath.
• Enhanced low-light performance under Australian conditions: Designed to perform in low light and withstand moisture, corrosion and different environmental stressors.
• Versatile installation: Suitable for many different commercial installation projects.

Did you know? The PowerBay* solar range is available through Bunnings. Call 134 TRADE (134 872) or head to your local Trade Desk to find out how we can support you in your solar needs.

How to get support behind the scenes

Being supported by Bunnings Trade Account Manager Josh isn’t just a dial-it-in relationship; Nicholas considers Josh part of his team. Here’s what Nicholas values most about having Josh on his team:

• Just a phone call away: Nicholas appreciates Josh’s speed and efficiency. “If we have any challenges with stock, or if we have a job that’s going at the last minute, logistically he helps get it to site very quickly for us,” he says.
• Taking care of logistics: “I just give him the address, the site contact, and he will deal with that and organise it,” Nicholas says. “He just needs a date from me and the order and approval of the invoice, and he sorts the rest out.”
• Mitigating stress: Running your own business can be stressful, but Nicholas says Josh takes some of the pressure off: “Time management, efficiency, taking the stress off me a little bit as well. The service Josh and the Trade team offers is 10/10. They come through every time and are just a text, email or phone call away.

After some new tools buys?

Check out our story on the latest tools, including the new Einhell range, on offer.

*If you buy solar products directly from Bunnings you may not be eligible to claim any available rebates, small-scale technology certificates (STCs), renewable energy guarantee of origin certificates (rego certificates), or access any other incentive scheme. Installation, grid connection and meeting the requirements of any rebate, STCs, rego certificates or incentive scheme are the purchaser’s or their installer’s responsibility.

The information in this article is general in nature. and the views expressed in this article are not necessarily endorsed by Bunnings. it doesn’t take into account your specific position, needs or circumstances. You should look at your own position, objectives and requirements and seek professional advice before making any decisions.